Child of Winter Solstice
by windstruck07
Summary: It was Snow Day in Arendelle. Elsa meant it as a joke to make a snow child, just to humor Anna. They were talking about the legend of the Child of Winter, then Jack Frost comes and joins in on the fun. Alas... the child came to life, calling Elsa her Mama... and an invisible Guardian of Fun her Papa. (JxE) Coverart by Story Hunter
1. Prologue: It Begins Where Summer Ends

Dear readers. This is an experimental fan fiction whereas I will attempt to write another multi-chapter story though I have another one in progress. If this is well recieved, I will continue this... but if not, well... who cares? I write for fun, not for fame. :)

This is more light hearted than my other fic _Red Moon and Black __Ice _which focuses on darker themes. This fic is loosely based on a Russian folktale, _Snegurochka _(forgive me if I mispelled this) which tells about an old couple who made a snow child on a winter's day. Anyway, please enjoy!

Hmm... I might update if I get up to... say 5 reviews for this prologue? Hehe

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the idea about making a plot out of this ship.**

**Prologue: It Begins Where Summer Ends**

Have you heard of the Child of the Winter Solstice?

They have heard legends about it... a girl born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining. Some say she was a child cursed to live and die on the same winter day, whose soul was buried in the white of snow for all eternity. Others say she was a fairy responsible for the coming of winter in the northern regions, and that her role was to comfort the hearts of couples who lived their lives childless and longing.

Jack Frost, the mischievous winter spirit, knew better. And so did the Queen of Arendelle, Elsa. The child had been real, but not in the way everyone else thought.

The child was in fact a sight to behold. Her hair fell in loose waves like thousands of soft strands if ice. Her skin beamed like the moonlight, wrapped in the silk of silvery snow and frost. Her eyes were cold as blue yet warm as a fire... they smiled by themselves whenever they met another set of eyes. Her breath smelled like honey and her voice was just as sweet. Her smile... oh her smile blew everyone away...

It was impossible not to love her.

It was as if the child had been theirs all along... and they never even knew it. She would come to them every winter, and whisper words of love and affection. Her laughs would resonate through the air, reminding Jack that his sacrifice was not in vain and that he was alive though his heart was frozen forever. Her smiles would calm the wary soul, reminding Elsa that fear will never triumph over love though she's scared her heart is frozen forever.

They knew better. This child was a gift from Heaven. She made them believe there's no such thing as a frozen heart.

In fact, the child was the reason why these two lost souls met. She was the reason why the Winter Spirit valued his center even more. She was the reason why the Snow Queen never ceased to love anyone less.

This is the truth behind the Child of Winter Solstice...

It begins where summer ends.


	2. Chapter 1: The Snow Maiden

Since I got five followers with the prologue, I reckoned I'd put this one up. Lucky for you, LillyStoppable.

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**Chapter 1: The Snow Maiden**

It was a Snow Day in Arendelle.

Children of all ages looked forward to this day. It was when the town was coated in plush white snow, and the frozen fjords were perfect for ice skating. Some would lie down and make snow angels, while others preferred making snowmen of all shapes and sizes. What most were excited about, however, was the snowball fights, where groups o kids split up in teams to create the more impressive forts than their enemies.

Jack Frost, the mischievous Winter Spirit and Guardian of Fun, let out a low whistle. He hadn't thought that a kingdom as medieval as Arendelle still existed in the 21st century. In fact, he had no idea how he got there in the first place. He had been flying north-east, meaning to make a quick trip to Denmark to pick up some Danishes for North. But he ended up someplace in Norway and found this.

_Strange_, he thought.

He surveyed from the skies a little more until he found the castle's open gates where people bustled back and forth in merry laughter and cheer. He made his speedy descent until gradually perching on a bridge connecting the town square to the ports. There were some kids, only a handful, who pointed at him with dumbfounded expressions. He chuckled. He never knew some children around these parts believed in him.

"Mama! Mama! It's Jack Frost! He's standing right there!"

"Oh, come along!" a woman huffed, pulling her child by the wrist towards the marketplace.

"Listen to your mama, kid." Jack winked. "I'll be off on my way."

And then he flew. A soft breeze accompanied him and led him towards the castle. He flew over the parapets and battlements 'til he found a garden to the side, with a frozen pond and two young women laughing along with other kids. They were seated across low wooden benches, with a fire crackling at the center. They were roasting marshmallows in the middle of afternoon, and it was oddly combined with cups of tea and some toast to the side.

He perched on a branch and fixed his eyes below. There were around five kids, all little girls around the age of 4-6 maybe. The two women seemed like they were around 18-20, one with strawberry blond hair, and the other a platinum blonde, wearing coats and winter boots and gloves. Well… the blond looked a tad bit too underdressed for the cold seasons, wearing an off shoulder royal blue dress and a thin purple cape, but Jack guessed that maybe the cold just didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Tell us another story, Queen Elsa!" The little girls begged. "Another story! Another story!"

"Tell us another story about Jack Frost!" a little one urged.

"But we heard enough Jack Frost stories all afternoon!" another girl wailed. "I want a story with a girl in it!"

"Ooh! Ooh! Jack Frost AND a girl!"

Then there were oohs and aahs and swooning. The two older girls giggled. Jack looked… amused. So maybe this queen is responsible for him having a small community of believers. He decided to stay and listen in as well. And now they were attempting to ship him with another character.

_This should be interesting, _he thought.

The blonde queen cleared her throat and smiled. "Well, okay then… how about the story of the _Snow Maiden?"_

Jack Frost's ears perked at this. He had heard this story before. In fact, he first heard the tale somewhere in Russia about way back. He leaned close to listen in, not daring to come down in case a possible believer might see him and could cause an unwanted ruckus.

The young woman whom Jack guessed was Queen Elsa stood from her seat and waved her arms above head. When blue sparks of light shot up from her hands, the winter spirit thought he was going to fall from the branch in utter shock. The woman had ice powers… _just like him._

Snow fell from above her, and with a wave of her hand, soft breezes swirled the flurries producing images of a little girl made of snow, dancing in the breeze. The kids marveled at the sight, and the strawberry blonde nodded proudly, wearing a smug smile.

"Once… Jack Frost, the Winter Spirit met a sad old couple who had no children…" The images transformed into that of an old man and his wife. They were making what appeared to be a little snowman, except the shape and features made it look like they were making a snow girl. "On a snow day, the couple pretended they had a child, and they built a little girl out of snow and called her… _Snowflake._

But then, she was just a doll made of snow… and the couple was still sad as ever… and so," Elsa smiled, her other hand waving and forming a tall figure, with messy hair and a sharp chin, holding a staff of ice. "Jack Frost… remembering his sweetheart, the Spring Spirit, and their daughter who had already passed the next world, he used his icy powers to give life to Snowflake…"

Then Elsa waved both her arms and her rendition of the Guardian of Fun zapped the snow child with his powers. Soon the little snow girl transformed, looking more human than snow… and she looked like a sweet little cherub, though she was an image made of flurries of snow.

The little girls clapped excitedly. "What happened next Queen Elsa?"

Jack wanted to know what happened next too. Apparently, in the queen's story, he was already married to some unknown Spring Spirit. And what was more interesting was that he had had a daughter too. The only Spring character he knew of was the Easter Bunny. He shuddered in disgust. Boy, if she knew that the real Jack Frost looked about around the same age as her, she would have been shocked and ashamed. He laughed at the thought.

"And so, little Snowflake introduced herself to her new mother and father and spent the rest of their winter days in frosty adventures and fun," Elsa continued. "The couple had never been happier all their lives…"

The images were then of the couple playing with the little snow child, until the scene dissolved into melting ice…

"But then Spring was coming… and Jack Frost had to go someplace else to bring winter to another part of the world. And he loved Snowflake very much too, because she was like his daughter too." Elsa smiled sadly while continuing to cast more snow images of her story. "He had to take Snowflake with him or else she'd melt and disappear forever."

The little girls pouted and sobbed. Jack was equally sad as well. _That doesn't make a good fairy tale now, does it? _He thought sarcastically.

"Yes… Days before winter came to an end, little Snowflake had to say goodbye to her Mama and Papa. The couple was sad… begging her to stay with them forever. But when they noticed that she began to slowly melt as the winter thawed around them, they had to let her go," Elsa said, her eyes downcast. But then a smile graced her face and eyed each of the girls with excited eyes. "But, because Jack Frost saw how much they loved Snowflake, he made the little snow child promise them that she will always come back on the first winter day."

"So whenever summer ends, and whenever the first snow day visited the old couple, they would build another snow child, and our favorite winter spirit Jack Frost would always come and give life to the child, so that Snowflake would always come, and warm the hearts of this couple for every winter day for the rest of their lives." Elsa finished as she gently clapped her hand above head, and the flurries disappeared. The little girls broke into cheers and hoorays and innocent giggles.

"Well I thought it was going to be a love story." The eldest of the little girls complained. She didn't seem impressed with Elsa's story.

The strawberry blonde girl ruffled her hair and replied, "Oh, but it was a love story, little Marianne. It's just not the one you expected."

Elsa smiled knowingly at her sister Anna and nodded in agreement. "Yes dear Marianne. It was a love story indeed,"

Jack smiled. The story was nice, he thought. He could really imagine himself doing the same for some old childless folk, but he doubted that his powers included giving life to snowmen. Well, he never thought to try anyway.

But he was very interested in this young queen. He silently wondered if she was a guardian whom he never knew about. But there wasn't any mention from North that Manny had ever chosen a newbie to join the group. She clearly wasn't immortal, that he was sure.

And it was interesting to note that this young woman has made up stories about him. He doubted she was a believer since it was rare for older people to believe in guardians. Come to think of it, he had never met adult human believers, ever.

Well, he had no time to stay around for long. He had to get North's Danishes or else he'd be in for the Russian scolding of his life.

"Now, now… you girls go on ahead. Or else Jack Frost might nip at your nose." Anna joked.

The little girls began squealing excitedly as they ran ahead towards the castle. The two young women who were left behind chuckled watching the girls race against each other to the inside. Jack just rolled his eyes and laughed quietly along with them. He floated down, meaning to study Elsa a little longer before making his departure. He watched as the two women cleared up the plates and saw how Elsa put out the fires using her ice magic.

"Woah," Jack breathed. "That's… pretty impressive!"

Anna shook off the excess snow on her dark blue coat. She looked to her sister Elsa and voiced out a crazy thought she had in mind.

"Hey Elsa, I had a thought," Anna murmured as she patted the last whiffs of frost on her shoulders. "How about you try making Snowflake?"

Jack actually thought that was a great idea, but Elsa grinned and laughed softly at the thought. "Come on Anna. That's just a story we made up as kids."

"Well, you built and gave life to our little snow buddy, Olaf, plus that crazy ice troll you made to throw us out of your ice castle" Anna shrugged. "I don't see how that's impossible."

Jack blinked. She built a snowman AND an ice troll. And she has a freaking ice castle too?!

"No way, she did?" Jack grinned in amazement. "I've got to see that!"

Elsa beamed and shrugged. "Well, okay, fine then. But I'm not planning to be a mother before getting married, mind you."

Anna laughed in quite a not so lady-like manner until she managed to stifle her giggles with her palm. Clearing her throat, she stood up and grinned. "Well, maybe Kristoff and I would gladly take her into custody and take her as our own child when we get married."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Well fine. I guess here goes nothing." Then she paused. "Wait, I can't make her human without Jack Frost."

Again, more laughter. Jack didn't get what they were laughing about. _Girls,_he thought. They were such complicated forces of nature.

"Jack Frost isn't real Elsa." Anna said as she finished laughing. "You're the real deal when it comes to ice and snow Elsa, the legendary Snow Queen."

"Hey, that hurt you know." Jack said, half amused and half insulted at Anna's antics.

"Maybe I'll make a Jack Frost first, then Snowflake." Elsa wondered, trying to suppress a grin.

Jack rolled his eyes. _Very funny._

"Nah, just make Snowflake already." Anna urged. "Make her the cutest thing in the world! I want my snow daughter to be absolutely perfect!

Jack watched as Elsa positioned herself and waved her arms dramatically, casting mild swirls of wind by the pond. Snow began gathering at the center, forming clumps of snow about three feet tall. Still feeling a wee bit insulted at Anna's remark, a mischievous thought struck him and decided to join in on the fun.

"I think I'd like to help make my 'daughter', thank you very much."

As soon as the words slipped passed his lips, he blushed. He had not realized the possible implications of what he said. But he shook the thought aside knowing the girls couldn't hear him. They don't believe in the really real, devilishly handsome version of Jack Frost.

So while Elsa poured in her magic on the snow girl taking shape, Jack did the same.

With his staff, he zapped power into the snow girl, surprising the two girls as they watched the process speed up. Suddenly there was a small snow blizzard forming at the center of the pond, and the snow was transforming into soft and solid, pale flesh.

"Elsa? What's going on?" Anna called out to her sister through the small storm.

"I don't know!" Elsa said, sounding a bit panicked. She had full control of her powers since that incident with Anna… she hadn't realized that the torrent that occurred was result of her and Jack's powers combined. "I can't seem to control it!"

"Do something!" Anna said.

"I'm trying!" Elsa said.

Even Jack tried to stop what was happening. But he can't seem to let go of his staff, nor cancel the power flowing out of it as they saw the snow transform before them. Soon the shape was that of a perfect four-year old girl, with thick locks of silvery snow and blond hair sprouting in long waves around her head. Snow wrapped around her body, transforming into an ivory white silk dress with laces made of ice. The little girl opened her eyes, revealing a pair of magnificent blue eyes that looked shocked and curious. And then there was a powerful icy blast coming from her, knocking Anna, Elsa, and Jack towards the far end of the area.

And the storm died as soon as it came.

"Ow!" Anna stood up, nursing her backside as she frantically snapped her head in every direction to find her sister. "Elsa! Are you okay?"

Elsa stood up, groaning as she felt the pain from her back. Thankfully, she had landed on soft ground, and she also looked around to see if Anna was okay.

"I'm fine…" she breathed in relief. Anna was alright.

Jack however had it bad. He was knocked towards a tree, and his staff had been snapped in half. He groaned while standing up. He cursed the moon upon seeing the broken conduit to his powers. It looked like he'd be getting that Russian scolding after all.

All of them began to walk slowly towards the pond, shocked beyond belief at what they saw. It was a beautiful little girl, with silver hair, ivory skin, and ice blue eyes. She curiously resembled a four year old version of Elsa, except the hair and nose seemed different. She wore a magnificent white dress. She looked like a cherub, Elsa thought. And she felt like her heart was melting at the sight if her.

When the little girl smiled, Jack thought he was going to choke. The smile she had shockingly resembled his own. Her teeth flashed in the light like freshly fallen snow.

What shocked him most of all was that it had actually worked.

They had actually managed to make her. The Snow Child.

"Mama?" The girl asked, looking at Elsa. Anna snapped her head to Elsa who had an equally dumbfounded expression. The little girl's voice rang in the air like wind chimes. It was beautiful.

When Elsa didn't respond, the little girl timidly and carefully walked out of the pond and unto dry ground, leaving a trail of frost in her wake. She started toward Elsa looking a bit confused and longing for her. "Mama?" This time she was holding out her two little hands, like she wanted to come for Elsa and hug her. "Mama, what are you doing over there?"

Elsa and Anna were speechless. They stayed there frozen to the ground like open-mouthed simpletons.

The girl turned to her left and saw Jack. Jack's eyes went wide when tears began to gather at the girl's eyes. She didn't wail, but she held out her arms and started toward the winter spirit this time.

"Papa," the little girl sobbed. "Mama won't hug me!"

The two girls looked at the snow child, looking even more dumbstruck as they saw her walking towards a tree. What they didn't know and didn't see was that Jack was standing there, trying to gather up his wits as he eyed the little girl with wonder.

Jack couldn't believe it. He created a child made of snow.

Elsa couldn't believe it. She made a living, breathing, human girl made of ice.

What both of them found more dumbfounding of all was that… they were now parents.

They just didn't know who the other parent was… yet.


	3. Chapter 2: Premarital Parenting

Hello! Since I'm quite psycho today, I decided to upload Chapter 2! (hooray!) Like always, (and to answer an awesome reviewer's question), I always upload 1-2 chapters weekly. There might be one or two day delays, but you can count on finding an update weekly.

Well that being said, I present you… Chapter Two

*minion voice* TADA!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Russian Folktale, nor do I own ROTG or Frozen.**

**Chapter 2: Premarital Parenthood**

Elsa was freaking out.

At first she decided to pass this off as a humorous dream. She had meant it to humor Anna… just a little joke to pass off the time.

But apparently, Elsa was part realist, not entirely the dreamer. She knew what was happening as clear as the light of day, and she knew what she was very well capable of that such a thing would be possible.

No. Actually she still couldn't believe it. She thought she would be something like Olaf… all mushy frozen water and a carrot nose. But no… this child was definitely _human. _She had created a living, breathing, taking, flesh-skinned human out of snow!

And the little girl before them was sobbing. She was sobbing to a tree saying Elsa, whom she called her _Mama_, refused to hug her. Elsa believed her wits had been scrambled by that blast of power. But Anna's equally dumbfounded stare confirmed that what they were both seeing was real.

Elsa had created the Child of Winter Solstice.

But she did not do it alone.

The Winter Spirit recovered quicker than the humans did. He smiled uncertainly at the little girl who called her _Papa, _extending his arms to welcome her in an embrace. Upon sight, the snow girl clumsily ran and fell smack into his arms, sobbing softly and clinging to his sweater like it was the safest thing in the world.

_Strange, _Jack thought. For something, or rather _someone_ made of snow, she was oddly warm to the touch. He caressed the little girl's silky hair, silvery in color in comparison to his snow white locks. Soon he began to ease at the idea of passing this girl off as his daughter.

_I did help make you after all, _Jack grinned to himself. _I guess that makes me Daddy now._

"Oh, don't mind your mother." Jack cooed to the little girl. He was surprised at himself for taking this too well. "She's just awestruck at how pretty you are is all."

The moment the little girl in his arms looked up to him, his breath had been taken away. _She was beautiful beyond belief. _She had eyes that resembled the queen's, but her nose and smile had definitely come from him.

It was as if the girl really was his and Elsa's child. The thought made him red all over as his eyes darted from the snow child to the blonde queen still sitting on the ground in utter bewilderment.

"Really?" the snow girl sniffed. "Mama thinks I'm pretty?"

"Yeah of course you are!" Jack grinned, touching the tip of her nose with his right index finger. "You have Papa's devious little smirk. That makes you the prettiest sight in all the world."

The little girl laughed. It made Jack smile fondly at her.

_I'm already a father and I'm not even married. _Jack thought, suddenly seeming horrified at the thought. The events that transpired that afternoon was definitely something he did not expect.

And it was all because he felt insulted that a _girl_ apparently replaced him as the embodiment of winter.

Elsa and Anna on the other hand continued to eye the child who was hugging some invisible something by the tree. The princess was the first to break the silence, slowly leaning her head towards Elsa with her eyes still fixed on the snow child.

"Is that… who I think it is?" Anna asked. "Did you actually…"

Elsa finally recovered from her dumbfounded reverie and stood up, patting off the snow that powdered her dead teal skirt. "I believe… I did."

"And she called _you _Mama… which means…"

Anna and Elsa looked at each other, a mixture of excited awe and horrified disbelief exchanged between them .

"I've become a _mother!"_

"I've become an _aunt!"_

They said this at the same time. Anna began to squeal in excitement as she ran towards the girl who was still held by an invisible Jack Frost. Elsa stayed in her place, gazing at the spot where Anna left with her mouth open like a gaping fish. The Snow Queen definitely had it bad… this was not one of her most calm and refined moments.

She was freaking out.

She was twenty-two, single, and was now a _mother._

But Elsa hid her panic pretty well. She coughed, swallowed her shock, and gazed warily at her bubbly sister who greeted the little snow child in the still invisible Jack Frost's arms. She was debating with herself about what to do with the little girl.

What would the people think? By the looks of the child's adorable baby face, no one would believe she was the legendary child of winter. She was much, much, much too human...

"Hey there little Snowflake!" Anna greeted the child. "I'm your auntie Anna."

Jack nudged the little girl softly by the shoulders, tilting her head towards the beaming princess. Snowflake turned to face Anna, blinking up to her curious blue eyes. Amd just like Jack, the child's face took Anna's breath away.

"Ooh aren't you just the little angel!" Anna squealed as she took Snowflake in for a tight hug. The little girl happily returned the hug, giggling into Anna's arms.

"Auntie Anna," Snowflake murmured against her shoulder. "Why does Mama not wanna hug me?"

Anna pulled herseld off and looked at the child apologetically. She looked at Elsa and tilted her head, urging her to come over.

Elsa just stared.

"What are you waiting for honey?" Jack chuckled as he sat beneath the shade of the tree. "Our little girl is waiting."

Of course Jack knew she couldn't see him. He was just amused at how the queen looked paler by the passing seconds... That was until...

"Mama?"

"Elsa!"

The Snow Queen fainted.

**A/N: Yeah I know... -.- this chapter sucks. Let's just say this is a little teaser chapter.**


	4. Chapter 3: Invisible Daddy

*sniff* I would like to thank *sob* those who faved, followed, read, and reviewed this fic. *bawling* Boohoohoo!

I never expected the last chapter to have more than 18 reviews! And it's only Chapter Two! *sparkly eyes* I'm so touched! *First pump and dramatic lights* I will not disappoint you!

So as a treat, I've made the choice to update this early (and since it's no work on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, I've had the liberty to write a lot on free time). Because you guys loved this plot bunny so much, the plot bunny also loves you!

Presenting Chapter Three!

**Disclaimer: **_**Snegurochka **_**a.k.a. Snowflake belongs to Russia. ROTG belongs to Dream Works, and Frozen belongs to Walt Disney. Kapeesh?**

**Chapter 3: Invisible Daddy**

"Elsa!"

Anna momentarily let go of her embrace against Snowflake to rush towards her fallen sister. She knelt beside Elsa and held her in her arms, shaking her frantically with wide, worried eyes.

"Elsa, please get a grip on yourself!" Anna said, her voice hitching a little. "Ooh! How am I going to carry you to the castle? We both know you're heavier than me!"

The little girl walked towards her and Elsa, leaving a trail of frost which dissolved into nothing as she went further. Anna noticed that the girl was adorably walking on bare feet (and Jack who still sat beneath the tree, still nursing his back from the horrible blast, fondly approved of it). She tilted her head and leaned on her 'mother' curiously. "Why is Mama sleeping in the middle of afternoon?"

"Uhm, uh." Anna looked back and forth from her unconscious sister to the cute girl before her. How does she explain that her sister fainted because she was all of a sudden a mother to a magical daughter? "She's just, uh, uhm…you see, well, uhm… you know!"

Snowflake hummed in thought, curiously eyeing everything above her until she tilted her head the other way. "Uhm, no, I don't know Auntie Anna."

Jack Frost laughed at his 'daughter's' remark. He then stood up, squinting a little at the pain from his back.

"Don't worry sweetie, I think your Mama's already sleepy." He chuckled.

He began towards his broken staff to piece it back together when he noticed that the strawberry blond was gawking at him like she had seen a ghost.

Anna noticed too late that something else, or someone else was present in that garden.

Maybe it was because she was still in the process of recovering from the shock of being an aunt. Or perhaps she just felt that the cold of the afternoon had taken its toll on her. She figured it was more likely that she was caught in the moment of being extremely in awe of the snow child. Regardless, the sight of her sister fainting and the sound of a conceited baritone voice from the tree to her right brought her senses on high alert.

That's when it dawned on her that before she held onto Snowflake, someone embraced her first. Her mind made a slow recollection of the earlier events that happened that day, from the story telling they did with the little princesses from the neighboring countries to the creation of the little snow child, and to the part where the girl was talking then embracing something by the tree. She never gave much thought about it because she was still in the process of wrapping her mind around the fact that Elsa had made a human child out of snow. That was until she realized that there had been an essential part of the Snow Maiden's story which caused the girl's existence... something, or someone they thought was a mere figment of their imagination.

She remembered Snowflake talking to someone invisible, calling him 'Papa', apparently that someone wasn't invisible to her anymore.

"J-Jack Frost?" Anna squeaked, her arms still held around Elsa.

Jack flinched when he heard Anna say his name. He was equally dumbfounded. _She sees me?_

"Y-you can see me?" Jack asked.

Anna nodded, the color of her skin draining away. At this Jack started to panic.

"Don't freak out! Please!" He held out his hands, meaning to stop her as if it would keep her from fainting.

But Anna did not faint. Instead, she carefully laid her unconscious sister on the ground and stood up in what she assumed as a refined manner. Jack thought otherwise.

"A princess does not 'freak out'" Anna drawled out, her hands clasped together at her front and her chin held high. "I was simply surprised to discover that you are real."

In reality, Anna's knees were threatening to buckle in pure shock. She did not hide it well, and Jack snickered smugly at this.

"Well I suppose queens do." Jack grinned, eyeing the sleeping Snow Queen from behind Anna. "But I'm not really surprised. I guess it kind of comes as a shocker for anybody to find they're suddenly parents."

Anna blinked at this, once, and then three times. She looked at the little girl who was now crouched beside Elsa, poking her cheeks then giggling "Mama's all sleepy" then at the handsome Winter Spirit who shrugged his shoulders in a carefree manner who placed his ivory hands inside his jacket pocket. Anna gasped, then cupped her face with her gloved hands as her eyes widened in realization.

"Oh my goodness you're Snowflake's Papa!" Anna squealed, wearing an expression Jack couldn't figure between delight and horror. "And you helped Elsa make her, didn't you?!"

Jack laughed at this and winked at the still pale princess. "Bingo."

Anna stared at Jack carefully for a couple of moments. She did not expect two strange occurrences in one day, with making a child that was thought to be a legend and meeting a spirit who was thought to be a myth. She observed that the young man was oddly like her sister, but _different_ in a way. He was tall and peculiarly dressed for someone to belong to these parts of the world. And he was _gorgeous,_ who looked to be more or less the same age as Elsa. She fought a playful smirk coming on… and the fact that these two ice users were likely the cause of Snowflake's birth gave her the second wildest idea she ever had in a single day.

Her response was not what Jack expected.

"You good for nothing perv'!" Anna screamed, suddenly flinging a barrage of snowballs at Jack. Well, being the ice entity that he was, Jack dodged the attacks perfectly while holding out his palms to beg Anna to stop.

"Hey, wait! What the hell?!"

"You don't just make snow babies with people you psycho!" Anna yelled, running towards Jack while holding a piece of stick which Jack suspiciously guessed as the other half of his staff. "You robbed my sister's single status without my consent!"

Jack was suddenly running away from the crazy girl. Such an inconvenience it was to not have his staff. He could have just flew away from this and moved on, but no… he had to make a snow child with a human who had powers like him, AND get into a wild goose chase with a mad princess.

"I don't exactly get what I did wrong!" Jack complained while evading Anna's attacks. "Would you stop that?!"

"You took advantage of my sister without asking my permission!" Anna shrieked angrily as she swung the stick repeatedly to hit jack.

Jack made a face and looked at her incredulously. "WHAT? I didn't take advantage of your sister!"

Anna stopped and rolled her eyes. "Well duh, you kind of did when you made a cute baby with her!"

Jack spluttered and almost tripped at the implications of her words. "I was helping her make a child out of snow!"

"Which…" Anna hissed as she made another swing, "technically makes you the father and Elsa's husband!"

"Don't be irrational!" Jack answered as he narrowly missed another hit and ran the other way. "Would you just stop?!"

"Nuh-uh!" Anna answered as she raised the stick to hit Jack again. "Not until you promise to marry my sister like what a responsible man does for making babies with single women."

Jack made another dodge and thought that that was the most absurd thing anyone has ever said. "The hell? I was only trying to have fun!"

The Winter Spirit realized he had just said the wrong things…

"You think… making a child with my sister is… having _fun?"_ Anna said quietly, her left eye twitching dangerously in anger. Jack started to back away cautiously, a gulp running down his throat.

Anna stepped forward, holding the stick high up in the air and making the action to hit Jack square in the face. Jack braced himself, forgetting that he could still dodge this if not for the scary face the princess gave him… until the both of them froze at the sound of a musical sobbing and a raining of snow on top of their heads.

"Stop fighting Papa!" Snowflake ran towards Anna and wrapped her little arms around her middle. "No fighting, please! I don't want fighting!"

Anna's heart melted for the little girl, forgetting that she was still faking anger at Jack and dropped the stick she held in her hands. She bent down and picked the little snow child up, cooing her and patting her back as she swayed her from side to side.

"No more fights okay?!" Snowflake sobbed, softly hitting Anna's chest with her fists. It didn't hurt the princess… it only made her giggle fondly at her.

"Aw…" Anna beamed. "I'm sorry sweetie. Auntie won't hit your Papa anymore."

"No more chasing and yelling!" the snow child pouted, her thin brows scrunched together, trying to be angry at Anna though she really wasn't.

Jack took the opportunity to grab the piece of stick Anna dropped and run towards the area where the other half lay. He hurriedly fixed the two pieces together and repaired the wooden staff, sighing in relief as he began to float up, deciding to leave the darned place immediately.

"Hey!" Anna yelled at him, half amazed that the winter spirit had the ability to fly. "Where do you think you're going?"

Jack looked back at her, a cheeky grin plastered on his face as he gradually floated farther from ground.

"Away from you." He winked. "I think I've kind of overstayed my welcome."

His gaze was suddenly on Snowflake, who looked at him with wide confused eyes. There was a tug on his chest, forgetting that this little girl looked to him as her father. He had rather grown fond of her in the few minutes that they embraced, and he also thought a while that he was fine with being the girl's parent (at this Jack began to flinch in disbelief at his own thoughts). But he had stuff to do, and North and the other guardians would already be looking for him.

"Papa," the girl called out to him. "Where are you going?"

He was warring with himself whether to just leave and never come back or stay and watch over the girl. He regretted that he intervened with Elsa's magic display, regretted that he had to be his show-off self, resulting to this. Now a full grown human could also see him, which is part of Guardian vocabulary as a big no-no since it caused unwanted attention with work. And other than that, he had made himself a teenage daddy.

Well, he was far from being a teenager already. He was more than three centuries old.

"Papa?" the girl in Anna's arms asked him again. "Papa, are you leaving?"

The girl looked like she was about to cry. She held out both of her arms, silently begging for Jack to come down. She wanted to struggle out of Anna's arms, but couldn't. She began to sob, opening and closing her tiny little hands as she watched Jack Frost who was frozen in the air, eyeing her with a blank expression on his face.

Anna looked at the winter spirit sourly, her eyes narrowed and accusing. Her boots crunched against the snow and walked backwards, comforting the girl on her arms with soft pats on the back.

"Oh leave your father be sweetie." She said, her eyes still fixed accusingly at Jack. "I think he has more important things to attend to, right Frosty?"

But what Anna was meaning to say was, '_You get your rump back down here mister or you're gonna get a piece of me and you won't like it!'_

Jack wasn't looking at Anna though. He was looking at his daughter's weepy face who still held out her arms meaning to reach him. Jack knew he loved the little girl the moment he laid eyes on her, and he was meaning to come back and visit her anyway… But the look on Snowflake's eyes just froze him there, leaving him in a mental debate with himself.

Jack mentally slapped himself. _No, _he thought. _I can't just leave her._

So Jack Frost floated down, sighing in defeat. Anna released the little girl who sprinted to a clumsy run into Jack's arms. He carried the little girl and kissed her nose, making the child giggle in response. Snowflake reciprocated his affections by planting a little kiss on is nose too making Jack grin widely at is daughter.

"I heard of Jack Frost nipping at people's noses." Jack chuckled. "I never thought it'd happen the other way around."

Snowflake giggled excitedly in response. "Papa won't leave Snowflake okay?"

"Now who'd be dumb enough to leave someone as adorable as you, you little stinker?" Jack smiled as he touched the little girl's nose with his finger. Snowflake laughed as Jack tickled her a bit then let her down.

He didn't see Anna's triumphant little grin which broke into a giggle then a laugh. Jack raised his brows and stared at her. He was starting to believe that the girl really was insane.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Anna said as she let the little girl down. "I'm sorry from before. I was just messing with you about marriage and stuff."

Now it was Jack's turn to be dumbfounded. He had just been duped. By a grown human. The Guardian of Fun had always been the master prankster, but someone as actually managed to pull a prank on him by threatening him with marriage. He grinned until he gave a laugh of his own which Anna returned with equal hilarity.

"Wow," Jack said, wiping a tear from his eye. "You actually got me back there."

Anna laughed, trying to stifle the sound with her hand. "Yeah, you should have seen the look on your face when I was about to strike you."

"And I thought you ran away from an asylum." Jack chuckled more until both of them began exchanging petty taunts with each other. They were laughing all the way, the sounds resonating through the cold winter breeze.

While they laughed, little Snowflake eyed them curiously, trying to understand what the joke was all about. She bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't like it when she didn't understand what was going on. She wanted to know what the joke was too, but apparently the two adults before her were too busy insulting each other. So she decided to walk towards her still unconscious mother and try to wake her up.

Elsa began to stir, then sit up. She was fully awake now, groaning at the throbbing feeling of her temples. There was much snow around her, more than the snow she saw before. She guessed this was the result of her stress a while back, struggling to remember the hazy events of the day. When she gazed up, a silver haired child was beaming at her, her eyes a reflection of her own. The queen remembered the events that happened and began to accept them as it is, no matter how disgruntling it was.

She was a mother now.

"Good morning Mama," Snowflake smiled, then looked at the sky and tilted her head. "But it's afternoon… oh. Good afternoon Mama!"

The sight of the girl made her heart melt. She felt the same feeling before actually freaking out. But now Elsa seemed okay with it. She was just worried about what the council and the whole people of Arendelle would say once they started asking questions about a little girl who looked like a carbon copy of the queen… She half doubted that they'd believe she made the child with her powers since the girl looked every bit as human as other kids. But moreover, she still couldn't fathom the thought of her being called a mother.

"Thank you," Elsa smiled at the little girl. She opted to make things right with Snowflake, trying to fight off the awkward feeling building up in her gut. She observed the little girl carefully, eyeing her dress which looked a little bit like her ice dress except it had puffed sleeves and an ankle length balloon skirt which revealed two bared feet and minus the trail. Lace made of ice adorned her skirts, making frost and snowflake patterns all around the rims.

"You look beautiful in that dress." She complimented.

"Uh-huh!" Snowflake agreed happily. "Because Mama made it for me!"

Elsa stood up, watching Anna who was laughing by herself with a confused look. She patted the snow off her dress and began towards her sister, feeling warmth clasp at her right hand. She was startled a bit at the feeling of Snowflake's hand against hers. Aside from not being used to physical contact besides Anna or Olaf, she was surprised that the girl was surprisingly warm despite being made out of snow. This confirmed how entirely human this little girl was, a fact that still left Elsa both horrified and in awe.

But she wasn't entirely human though, Elsa observed. Trails of frost were left in the girl's path, only to disappear while the girl left. The queen guessed that the girl possessed ice powers like her, being as she was a child of that element… or rather _her _child, born of astonishing methods.

Elsa knew she'd never been ordinary. So it was only rational that she had given birth to a grown child through extraordinary means.

_I feel like a freak of nature, _Elsa thought in distress.

Jack and Anna ceased from their playful banter when they saw the queen rise from her short slumber, silently appreciating the sight of the queen and the little girl's hands held together. Only then did Jack see how beautiful Elsa was… because there was a certain glow about her that he didn't see before.

Her smile looked warmer, filled with mixed uncertainty, sadness, and awe. It was weird, for she looked both sad and happy and… _conflicted_. He shook his head. He had seen many beautiful women in the centuries he roamed the earth, but none of them were quite like her.

She reminded him of what it was like to be alone and afraid. He didn't understand how he knew that and why. But one thought erupted from his mind as soon as she saw her shift her gaze from Snowflake to Anna…

It was a budding infatuation.

"I know that look when I see one," Jack was surprised to see Anna wriggling her brows at him. "You've got a crush on my sister don't you?"

"No I don't!" Jack retorted albeit too quickly. Anna giggled.

"Don't worry, I think you'd make a good brother in law." Anna winked, patting him on the back. "I'm beginning to like you for my sis, Jack Frost."

"Who're you talking to Anna?"

Both snapped their heads at Elsa who eyed Anna worriedly. Jack realized with dread that the queen still couldn't see him… and he also knew that it would be bad on his 'daughter's' part (again he was amazed at how well he was taking the fact in) that her mother couldn't see him.

But he also decided he wasn't ready to be seen.

"Jack Frost!" Anna beamed, gesturing towards the dumbfounded winter spirit. "See?" Then she whispered to her sister. "I think you're perfect for each other!"

Elsa just stared, confused at her sister. She guessed that Anna must have been pulling a prank on her after her little fainting spell. The queen groaned, not in a mood for anymore pranks after the events that transpired. She looked straight at Anna and wore her skeptic face.

"Please, no tricks Anna. I'm tired. I need to take an early leave… I think the use of my powers from before got me totally drained." Elsa admitted. She looked at Snowflake and mustered a smile. "Mama is… tired."

"But Papa is over there Mama!" Snowflake said as she pointed at a space empty in Elsa's eyes. "See?"

Elsa tried to fight back another groan. She didn't want to upset the girl. She was tired and stressed and she needed proper sleep. She didn't have the liberty of rest since the start of winter since she was busy entertaining so many guests after five consecutive balls and meetings with other rulers. That afternoon, she only joined the other princesses' tea party/ camp fire activity only because Anna told her to. And now that her sister and a snow child were claiming Jack Frost's existence gave birth to a whole new headache that had nothing to do with the stress of her queenly business.

"Snowflake." Elsa said, exasperated. "Please… Mama needs rest, okay? No games…"

Anna gaped at Elsa, shocked and confused. She was about to argue with her sister until Jack caught her by the wrist and shook his head.

"She can't see me, Anna. People who don't believe in me can't." Jack smiled sadly. "Pretend you don't see me either for now, otherwise she'd think you knocked your head on the ground too hard."

Anna was about to ask her why when Elsa began to walk towards them… and through the winter spirit.

She gasped.

Elsa looked back at Anna, mild alarm sketched across her face. "Is everything alright?"

Anna just stared at Jack who looked at her with a sad smile. "Told you so…"

Anna shook her head while trying to fight the disturbing thought of seeing Elsa walk through Jack like he was a… a ghost. She didn't understand… but she knew that it would cause complications for both him and Snowflake.

All their attentions were caught by a sobbing Snowflake, who looked at her parents with fright and sorrow.

"Mama…" Snowflake sobbed. "Why can't you believe in Papa?"

Her tears began flowing continuously until frost began to coat the gardens in angry jagged shapes. The girl was refined even while she wept, muffling her cries by burying her heart-shaped face in her hands. The frost coated the nearby walls, and snow began to form in the areas where there were none. Elsa stared with horror at what was happening…

The girl did not only have ice powers… she had _her _ice powers.

"Oh, sweetie… don't cry, please, don't..." Anna said as she knelt beside the weeping girl, meaning to touch her.

"Don't!" Elsa warned, pulling Anna by the wrist and dragging her behind her.

"Hey!" Anna complained.

Elsa met Anna's eyes in wide knowing fright. "She might freeze you if you touch her!"

Anna returned her stare looking appalled. "I can't just leave her crying!"

But Elsa didn't want Anna to be near the child. She reminded her of herself… the Elsa who had no control over her powers. That moment, she was thinking of locking the girl away… to her ice castle maybe. She was experiencing some sort of panic attack, thinking of a way to get Anna away from her creation while keeping her powers contained.

Elsa couldn't afford causing another unnatural winter. Not through _her…_

_This isn't happening… This isn't happening… This isn't happening…_

While this happened, Jack Frost knelt in front of the sobbing girl, ignoring the mild torrent of flurries swirling around the girl. He began removing her hands from her face and looked at her, wearing his signature smirk.

"Hey Snowflake," Jack smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Don't worry, Mama and I are just playing a game."

"A…" she sniffed, the frost gradually diminishing. "A game?"

Jack nodded. "Uh-huh. It's called 'Pretend Not to See Daddy' Game. The one who wins gets to spend more time with you, buddy. And your Mama's determined to win so she pretends she doesn't see me, so you better hush your voice and pretend that you're not talking to me while she's here, okay?"

Snowflake's eyes sparkled, believing Jack's sad little lie. Elsa saw as the snow around them gradually reduced to the natural winter snow, wondering what might have stopped her from crying.

"Really?" Snowflake whispered, wiping the tears that remained on her blossom smooth cheeks.

"Yeah, that's right." Jack Frost said as he gently fixed his little girl's hair. "Now you go along and be with your Mama, 'kay?"

Snowflake nodded with a determined expression, then ran towards Elsa who flinched upon being hugged at her middle. Elsa froze. She didn't expect that the girl would thaw out her own snow that easily and that quickly. Even Anna had been surprised. Both of them did not expect that it would all happen in a snap.

With loving blue eyes, Snowflake met Elsa's own fearful ones and murmured. "I'm sorry for crying Mama. I love you."

Elsa didn't know why, but she started crying too.

She picked up her baby girl and kissed her forehead, then she buried her face in her hair. How in heaven's name had she thought of locking this precious girl away? Why had she thought about sentencing this girl to the same curse of isolation she suffered as a child? She was ashamed and angry at herself. She would never, ever, think about doing that again.

"Mama is sorry too..." she said.

And just like that, Elsa walked towards the castle, still carrying the girl in her arms. But her sister stayed there, looking between her parting sister and the winter spirit who stood there wearing the saddest smile she had ever seen.

Anna wrung her hands, deciding whether she should stay with Jack or follow her sister.

"I'm sorry," she said. "About Elsa not being able to see you."

"It's cool." Jack shrugged. "Actually, I think you're the first grown up to actually have seen me. It's not surprising that your sister can't."

"Yeah, but it still sucks that the mother of your kid can't see you." Anna stopped herself upon seeing Jack cringe at her words. "Sorry."

Jack chuckled then leaned against his staff, looking away. "Nah, its fine. She's not even my type."

Anna raised a brow and crossed her arms. "Really? Would you tell me that again with a straight face?"

Jack didn't look at her again. Instead he turned his back and began to float.

"I'll be back tomorrow to check up on her." Jack beamed as he soared threw the cold winter sky. "It's nice meeting you Anna."

And then Jack Frost zoomed off towards the horizon, with a heaviness in his heart he could not explain.

Anna tapped her foot against the snow covered ground, a knowing smirk gracing her face. She turned towards the castle and walked with wide confident strides.

_Someone has an obvious thing for Elsa, _she thought. _And I'm gonna make her see him. For sure!_


	5. Chapter 4: Single Mother?

*Big eyes* 46 reviews?! Seriously, I never thought this story was going to be this well received. *Scratches head* Now I'm really feeling the vibe of uploading ANOTHER chapter too early since you guys love this so much. ^_^

I wish I could PM each and every one who supported this fic all the way. I considered mentioning you guys in the Author Note but I reckoned it would be more wonderful if I did that at the very last chapter for an epic effect! *sighs dreamily* And if you guys love a bit of time travel mystery and fantasy with a bit of humor to the side, feel free to check out my other Jelsa fic, _Red Moon and Black Ice_ which I'll be updating next week.

Okay, okay, I won't keep you from your excitement any longer. Hold on to your seats, because here comes Chapter Four!

**Disclaimer: I thank the nation of Russia for their glorious literary heritage, and for bringing the story of the Snow Maiden into the world. Disney and Dream Works for their lovable characters too. **

**Chapter Four: Single Mother?**

When Elsa went into the castle carrying a child with hair that was confusingly silver or white blonde, the staff did not give much thought about it. But when the little girl began greeting them with hellos and giggles, watching as her icy blue orbs sparked with the warmth of a chimney fire, they were in for the surprise of their lives.

The girl shockingly resembled the Queen of Arendelle.

At first they assumed she was a distant relative they never knew about. But they shook their heads at this. Well, Kai and Gerda and the rest of the staff knew most of the Royal family's relatives and kin ever since before Anna and Elsa's parents' time. They knew their first cousins by name and the others by face and by heart. And never before had they seen such a girl.

And then they thought that maybe it was a mere coincidence that the girl looked like Elsa, talking about identical traits found in non-relative people. But then they chose to disagree because the girl had too much of Elsa to be considered pure chance.

That's when some of the maids in waiting began counting the years as they murmured amongst themselves. They wondered about the possibilities of Elsa having a secret affair and also grumbled about the impossibilities of the queen having an illegitimate child at such an early age.

"She's only twenty two!" one whispered. "The child looks about three or four years. If she was her child, she'd have to be pregnant when she was seventeen or eighteen!"

"That's impossible. She was all cooped up in that room of hers before the coronation!" another responded.

"Or she'd been cursed by some witch to bear the burden of early parenting," an old messenger whispered with gloom-filled eyes.

The other staff shook their heads at this.

"No, the queen is too much of a dearie for some witch to curse her. Mind your assumptions." A younger servant scolded them.

"Maybe God has punished her for causing that eternal winter last summer by giving her a child!" an old maid gasped.

"Oh no, I don't believe God cursed the queen." One of the heralds murmured in Elsa's defense.

"Blessed is more like it. The girl looks every bit a sweetie as her mother." A petite old maid beamed, watching the snow child from afar.

"But she kind of follows after the princess' antics. Just look at her!" another of the messengers chuckled.

They all sighed at this. Elsa had them gathered in at the servants' lobby to introduce Snowflake to everyone. She knew talks would come out about the mystery of Snowflake, and because she was finally able to keep her cool, she knew she could bear introducing the little girl to the world as her magical daughter.

The queen stood at the center of the room and raised her hand politely. The whispers died down in a soft hush and waited with bated breath for what Elsa was about to say.

"I would like everyone to meet Snowflake," she smiled at the child who grinned at the whole staff from ear to ear. "She's a child I have conceived through my powers (and the staff began to choke on their own saliva at this) after our session with the daughters of the Kings and Queens of our ally countries. I pray you treat her with equal love and reverence as you would a child of the Arendelle Royal Family."

Snowflake chuckled then bowed a 90 degree curtsey, her soft wavy hair tumbling over her shoulders making the maids grin lovingly at her. "It's nice to meet everyone!"

The girl then stood straight and began blabbering to her Mama about things she was thinking about the moment they entered the castle. "Mama, if you're queen does that make me a princess? And all of them are my servants and maids and messengers and nannies and aunts and uncles and everything?"

Elsa smiled at her, "Of course."

"But I don't wanna call them servants Mama, is that okay?" she said as she eyed each and every one of the staff who were busy gaping at her, spreading her arms wide in affection. "I wanna call them auntie and uncle and grandma and grandpa and big sis and big bro and I'd have a big, big, big, big, big family and we'll all play in the snow and we'll build ice castles and snow angels and snowmen and play snow ball fights and dollies and… and… and.. and EVERYTHING!"

The whole staff 'aawed' at the little girl, politely asking the queen to take turns with holding her and playing with her. Just like that, little Snowflake quickly won the hearts of their servants, surprising both Anna and Elsa at how quickly the events were happening.

After dismissing the staff, another chorus of whispers broke throughout the castle. They all marveled, some amazed at the capabilities of Elsa's powers, while others whispering words of fondness for the winter child. The news spread quickly that afternoon, and the guests from different kingdoms who stayed at the castle that day after the ball Arendelle held the night before considered the stories as either absurd or hilarious.

When Elsa and Anna toured the girl all over the castle though, that was when the guests began to believe the stories, though not every one of them.

Anna giggled at the little girl. She was naturally sweet and caring, and sometimes she caught some sort of a mischievous smirk which reminded Anna of the Winter Spirit. As soon as Snowflake explored the castle, she had been squealing and giggling and running excitedly, marveling the armors and paintings and chandeliers that decorated the halls and making clumsy curtseys at the guests who were greatly flabbergasted at seeing a mini-version of the queen. They took note of the trail of frost that appeared and disappeared where the girl ran, believing their eyes that this girl was indeed closely related to the Snow Queen.

Of course Elsa gave them the same explanation she did with the servants. They'd been harder to convince… and the sisters chose to leave it at that, to their dismay.

"Auntie Anna!" Snowflake called out to her upon entering the castle's big gallery. "Who is that?!"

Snowflake was pointing at a painting at what Anna humorously remembered to be her childhood friend.

"That's Joan of Arc, sweetie." Anna smiled, "She's a heroine of France, a warrior brave and true."

Snowflake's mouth formed into a cute little 'o' as she touched the painting reverently. She stepped down from the couch and started towards Anna and Elsa. "I wanna be a warrior brave and true too!"

"Of course you already are!" Anna said, ruffling the girl's hair a bit. "And you're so much better! You got Mama's wicked cool ice powers which make you a super hero as well!"

Snowflake gasped and then placed her hands on her hips as if to stand heroically. "A superhero!"

Elsa chuckled then bent down to meet Snowflake's height. "Now dear, Mama's going to take an early nap, okay? Why don't you go and play with your Auntie for a while?"

Snowflake frowned at this, and then beamed lovingly at her. "Hmm' kay!" Then she began fidgeting with her hands, gazing to the side as if embarrassed. "Uhm, Mama?"

Elsa tried to fight off a yawn and gazed at her daughter. "Yeah?"

At first the girl hesitated, then resolved to plant a gentle kiss on Elsa's nose. Elsa froze at this, not expecting that intimate of a daughterly affection from the girl. Again for the umpteenth time that day, the girl had melted her heart as she watched Snowflake wear the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.

"Good night Mama."

And then the little girl ran off to hold Anna's hand, blabbering about how excited she was with Anna touring her all over the castle. The girl loved everyone she met on first sight, and the same feelings were reciprocated towards her. That day, Elsa realized too soon that she had quickly fallen in love with the child, and was finally okay with the idea of claiming her as her own.

So when she stood, though she hadn't reached her bedroom yet, Elsa had never felt more rested in all her days.

And she had never felt happier.

…. …

Meanwhile…

"Hurry up with the decorations people! Jack will be back soon in a minute, and he'll know what we're all up to!"

Things had become busier at the North Pole. Besides the narrowing countdown to Christmas Eve, the Guardians of Childhood were busy preparing what turned out to be a surprise party for the newest member of the group. North made that big fat gamble to order Jack around to purchase the foods and decorations of his own anniversary party, and the Winter Spirit never gave a second thought to it. Of course the large man was really proud of the idea, saying he had outwitted the witty Guardian of Fun.

Bunnymund and Sandy would roll their eyes whenever the old man gloated. Tooth on the other hand was exceptionally giddy.

"Ooh! I can't wait to see the look on Jack's face when we surprise him!" Tooth giggled excitedly as she hung more streamers in the air. The mini-fairies sighed dreamily thinking about it too.

"Bunny! I told you to bake chocolate cake… not chocolate chicken!" North growled, pointing a large stubby finger at the chocolate monstrosity the yetis were carrying.

"What?" Bunny said, brows arched up in defense. "You said not to bake an Easter Egg, mate! You said nothin' about a chicken. Besides… this big beauty 'ere's still a cake!"

Sandy looked at the big chicken coated in pink, brown and yellow frosting and thought that it was the scariest thing to ever exist besides Halloween. Even the elves scattered everywhere when they caught the chicken-cake-thing on sight.

Tooth dipped her finger in the frosting and tasted it, grinning from ear to ear and nodded approvingly.

"What it lacks in looks it makes up for the taste," Tooth smiled. "Good job, Bunny!"

Bunny made a smug smile until he realized that Tooth actually mocked his cake decorating expertise.

"Hey!"

Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door and the whole workshop fell into an instant hush. North waved his big beefy arms, urging everyone to hide through gritted teeth. The fairies zoomed everywhere like mad bees, and the yetis and elves sprinted in all directions, looking for every nook and cranny of the workshop that would make do for good hideouts.

"Quick! Quick! Quick!" Tooth ordered her mini fairies.

Everyone had already managed to find themselves a hiding spot when North realized he was the only one left standing in the room. He snapped his head at all directions as the raps on the door grew louder and stronger. Seeing the giant chicken cake, he made a quick dive and hid himself within the frosting.

And the door opened.

"SURPRISE!"

Everyone jumped out of their spots yelling 'happy anniversary' until they noticed that the person standing at the door was none other but… Phil the yeti, who looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Aaw! It's only Phil!" The guardians groaned as they miserably resumed with continuing with the preparations.

North began to suspect that Jack was taking too long with the Danishes. Usually it would take only minutes for the Guardian of Fun to fly from one part of the globe to another. For him to take this long for just an errand was beginning to make the jolly old man worry…

_I wonder if he's alright…_

… …

Jack Frost still felt down at having to leave his daughter just like that.

He was flying through the air in deep thought, hoping that the day would just end quickly so that he could go back to the child. He didn't realize he was soaring through the air much slower than usual, and when he saw that the sun had begun to set on the Northern hemisphere, that was when Jack remembered that North had ordered him to get him some Danishes.

"Oh drat." He cursed.

He flew back and made a quick stop at Denmark, grabbing as much Danishes as he could carry at a local bakeshop in a city he forgot the name of. The cashier was surprised to find a sack load of money on his counter and a huge shortage on his supply of pastries, shrugging as he opened the bag to marvel at the mysterious loot.

And then Jack once again soared through the skies, more hurriedly this time because he knew North would kill him for delaying his grand meeting with the delicious pastries. Soon he was hovering above North's ice castle, plunging towards the familiar ice tunnels towards the door to Santa's Workshop.

He made three raps at the door, finding it odd that the place was oddly too quiet.

"Who is it?" came North's familiar Russian accent.

"Open up North." Jack said. "It's me, Jack."

Then there was a loud shuffling from behind the door, followed by a series of not-so-hushed footsteps, some plates breaking on the floor, some sand and fairy wings twittering and tinkling, a rabbit cursing over a swollen foot, and jingling bells. The door suddenly opened with a soft creak, revealing a dimly lit room with nobody inside.

Jack arched his brows. "Okay guys, what are you all up to?"

"He's on to us!" he heard someone whisper, probably the Tooth Fairy.

"Shush!" Jack heard Bunnymund whisper.

And then, before he made another step inside, the lights opened blindingly, revealing a room decorated with clashing colors of Christmas and Easter, green and purple feathers, and glittering sand. An army of elves charged towards him, shooting streamers all over his face and body, and a loud chorus of trumpets and bells filled the air. A legion of fairies soared through the high ceiling, forming a multi-layered heart formation followed by dreamy sighs. Sand sparked above, exploding into beautiful fireworks forming snowflake patterns all around.

"SURPRIIIIISE!"

Then there were cheers and pats on the back from Sandy and Bunny and kisses on the cheeks from North and Tooth. The yetis bear-hugged Jack on every side, almost choking him to death, and the elves were grinning goofily at Jack, offering him partially eaten fruit cakes and cookies of different shapes and sizes. Jack was overwhelmed. This had been the third most unexpected event of the day.

"To Jack Frost, on his first anniversary as Guardian!" North cheered.

And there were cheers and hoorays.

"Woah, guys, guys…" Jack laughed. "Wow, I… I never thought you guys would do something like this."

"It was Bunny's idea actually." Tooth smiled. Bunny looked away to hide his blush, leaning against the doorframe coolly.

"It was everyone's idea, mate." Bunny smirked, twirling the boomerang in his hands.

"Well, I don't exactly know what to say…" Jack smiled. "Thanks."

North had a peculiar feeling that Jack wasn't his typical, obnoxious self that evening. While the rest of them sighed in relief and cheered at finally being able to eat the food (which Jack had actually purchased by himself that day, courtesy of North), the Guardian of Wonder led him away from the crowd towards a less crowded part of the room.

"You seem less cheery, Jack Frost." North observed. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, nothing's wrong actually…" Jack admitted.

"well, why do you seem so gloomy? It's you're Guardianship Anniversary! You should celebrate!"

"Well… I am happy North. It's just that…"

"Just that?"

Jack actually planned to tell North about the events that happened that day. He was confused, and he needed counsel on the mysteries that had suddenly been made known to him about his powers. But he didn't know how to tell the jolly man that he was suddenly a father to a snow child, or how to explain how it had come to happen.

So he decided to just spill it bluntly.

"I have a daughter North!"

All of a sudden the music and rambling inside the room stopped. All heads turned to Jack, them having heard of his confession to North. The guardians stared at him, with wide disbelieving eyes until everyone broke into loud bellyfuls of laughter.

"That was a good one mate!" Bunny bellowed. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard all day!"

Sandy fell to the floor, trying to stifle a soundless laughter that came out like wind chimes. Even Tooth was holding back a giggle at what Jack told North… until all of them saw the dead serious expression Jack was wearing.

"You're not serious… are you, Jack?" North asked him.

"Believe me, I am…" Jack said, looking all embarrassed and bothered. "It's not like I meant for _that_ to happen!"

Now the whole room erupted into shocked gasps and pale faces. Tooth actually fainted, to be caught by a floating Sandman who looked equally as mortified. North felt like his jaw was going to hit the ground as he looked at a Jack who seemed to him appeared as a guilty teenage boy committing a huge crime.

"You bloody bastard," Bunny whistled, still not believing a thing. "Who was the unlucky lady? Oh! Oh! Don't tell me!" Bunny began to snicker then laugh at this, "It was that old geezer that sings 'Bibidy-Bobbidy-Boo!*', right? Right? Because she's the Fairy Godmother, right?"

The elves gasped, some forty or fifty falling off their seats.

And North glared then held the neckline of Jack's hoodie wearing his most vicious glare.

"How could you Jack?! I called dibs on Fairy Godmother! You know that!"

Then there was an awkward silence. North flushed red.

"What the hell? NO!" Jack retorted as he freed himself from North's hold. "She's not born in the way you think! She's uh… she's kind of made of… snow."

Now North was confused, and so were the other guardians. (At this point, tooth had regained consciousness and sighed in relief) They all walked towards Jack who still wore a confused and sad expression, clutching his staff like it was his lifeline from total embarrassment.

"Well," North coughed, as he began to straighten himself. "What seems to be the problem about that then? I don't see how having snow child as daughter is a problem."

Jack twisted the staff in his hands a little then looked up to the Guardian of Wonder. "Well, she is made of snow… but she's also every bit as human. As in… flesh. Real _flesh!_ And she's even got ice powers like me and-"

"Wait, hold up." Tooth intervened. "You're meaning to say, you made a human child… out of snow?"

"Yes!" Jack said, his eyes lighting up. "But… I didn't do it alone…"

Now Sandy and began whistling soundlessly as he turned his back to leave. Bunnymund wore a shocked expression and held out his hands as if to stop Jack from whatever he was about to say.

"I'd rather not hear it mate." Bunnymund said.

Jack looked appalled and embarrassed, "Get your minds out of the gutter guys! I meant someone else with ice powers helped me make a child from snow!"

Now everyone stared at Jack like he was crazy.

"What do you mean someone else with ice powers?" Bunnymund asked.

"You're the only ice-user we know jack, and Manny hasn't even told us about a new immortal." Tooth said.

"Her name is Elsa." Jack said. "A human, from a place in Norway called Arendelle."

Everyone froze.

"Arendelle?" North asked. "You mean that kingdom where there'd been an unnatural winter last summer?"

"Yes!" Jack exclaimed. "The one you thought I caused, but didn't! I suspect that it was her who caused it… but she seems in control now, I think. She's actually queen of that place, can you believe it?"

Then Jack soared through the sky, describing the things that he saw and the small community of believers there he never knew that he had. He told them about how he found Elsa and Anna telling stories about him and the Snow Child to a bunch of kids, and that he had assisted Elsa in making the snow child only for it to turn into an actual human.

He told them about how the girl started calling Elsa her Mama, and him her Papa. He told them about how she walked towards Jack and had become the first one she embraced. He told them about how surprised he was that he seemed okay with the idea of being a parent, even though parenting seemed to be the last thing on his mind.

He told them about how Elsa had freaked out, and how Anna had seen him after realizing that he was essential to the creation of the Snow Maiden. He told them how Anna chased him around the garden, threatening him to marry her sister (and the whole room erupted in a chorus of chuckles with the exception of the fairies). He had told them about how the child's powers responded to her emotions, and how she walked bare feet against the cold winter ground leaving trails of frost just like him.

He told them about how the girl was like an odd mix of him and Elsa. He told them about the child's big blue eyes, and her well sculpted nose and devious little smirk. He told them about her silvery blonde hair, which was confusion between white or silver gold that fell behind her back in soft waves and curls. He told them about her musical giggles, and the way she nipped his nose in loving affection. He seemed very proud that he had created someone so heartbreakingly precious. He told them that if they met her, they'd totally love the girl to pieces.

All the while the guardians were amazed, caught between believing and doubting Jack as he formed an ice image of his daughter. When North saw the unspoken fondness in Jack's eyes as he described her meeting with this Snowflake, he believed that indeed, the Guardian of Fun was speaking the truth.

"That's amazing Jack!" Tooth beamed, hiding the tug at her heart that Jack had a daughter with another girl. "You mean to say that you're actually a parent now?"

"And what of this Elsa?" Bunnymund asked. "Did you manage to ask how she got the same powers as you, mate?"

The question quickly wiped the proud smile off Jack's face. He floated down to the floor and leaned against his staff, giving the gang a sorry looking smile.

"Well, the sad part was she doesn't know I exist." He smiled wryly. "She believes she's a single mother right now."

Everyone fell into a sympathetic silence. But then Jack waved the matter off like it was no big deal.

"Nah, don't worry, she's not even my type," Jack chuckled, though he knew he doubted his own words. Moments ago he felt a kind of spark that drew him to Elsa. But he rather chose to not dwell much on it. "It just sucks that Snowflake has to deal with her mother not being able to see me."

Now North gave Jack an amused grin, patting him on the back and handing him a mug full of eggnog.

"I'm guessing that you'd need a bit of help, dear boy." He winked. The other guardians also thought the same. They all had one thought in mind, deciding that it would be the most wonderful Guardianship Anniversary present they could give to their newest comrade.

Later that night, they planned on doing overtime at North's workshop as soon as the boy would leave. 

And North had been waiting to test his latest invention for _ages._

… …

It was seven o' clock in the evening when Elsa woke up from her dreamless slumber.

It was dark inside her room, and the windows were open, allowing the cold of the outside to penetrate the inside of her room. It was fine though. The cold never bothered her anyway.

She jumped a little when she saw Snowflake perched on a chair beside her bed, gazing at her curiously. She had changed into Anna's old pajamas, which was a baby pink dress that fell to her ankles. Elsa smiled at the girl, fixing Snowflake's bangs across her face as the child giggled at her soft touch.

"Did I wake you up Mama?" she whispered softly.

"Mmm… No. It's fine." Elsa yawned tiredly. "Though I wished I slept more… How was your day?"

"Auntie Anna introduced me to Uncle Olaf!" she smiled happily. "Both of us like warm hugs! He's my new best friend."

Elsa chuckled softly at the girl. She could just imagine the two getting along. "I'm glad to hear that."

"And then we played snow ball fights with the other princesses in the courtyard!" she continued. "Uncle Kristoff and Sven where there too! They played referee and then they made me build a small ice palace in the garden and we played!"

Elsa's eyes opened wide at this. How could Anna just allow the girl to use her powers just like that? What if there had been accidents?

But the look on the little girl's face assured that the girl was totally in control of her powers that time.

_Well she should, _Elsa thought fondly. _The girl is filled with so much love for someone so young_.

The girl stopped her narration when she saw Elsa's eyes turn droopy once again. She began to sit on the mattress, caressing her mother's face as a thought came to her.

"Mama wants to sleep more?" she asked.

"Hmmm…" Elsa hummed.

"Can Snowflake sing a lullaby for you Mama?" she asked, wearing an adorable smile this time.

Elsa grinned against her pillows. Strange, the girl seemed both so childish and mature at the same time. She felt proud, like how a mother should, she guessed.

"Okay…" Elsa mumbled.

And before Elsa slept she heard, from the voice that could rival a cherub's, the same lullaby she fell asleep to as a child.

"_The clear sky is all around you… aaah… aaah…. Love's shadow will surround you, all though the night… Star glowing in the twilight, tell me true… Hope whispers and I will follow 'til you… love me… too…"_

And Elsa fell asleep with the snow child in her arms.

_I never thought being a single mother was nice, _was the last thought Elsa had before she drifted off into the darkness

**A/N: The lyrics of that song is from "Winter's Light" by Chloe Agnew of Celtic Woman. Check it out on Youtube or something. It's such a pretty Disney-ish song! And I hope you like my reference with Cinderella's Fairy God Mother. *laughs* Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 5: Who's the Father? (Part I)

.

You guys really like to torture a girl do you? O.o Well, lucky for you because I've gone crazy enough to beat my personal record: THREE CHAPTERS ON FOUR CONSECUTIVE DAYS.

(I'm taking advantage of the fact that I have a short vacation from Internship prior to Holy Week, mind you) So the next time you'll receive an update would be next week. I was actually supposed to be writing the next chapter for _Red Moon and Black Ice, _but apparently this idea just tried to battle its way out of my head that it ended up thinking about this fic instead of the other one! And I already planned out Chapter 10 of that fic days ago! My poor, poor, typing fingers are already complaining, and I still have Filipino News to translate in English for our internship assignment due next Wednesday. *sigh* It'll also be a 6 hour trip from here to where we do our on-the-job training. *gloom* Yeahy!

Anyway, it doesn't matter. Please forgive me if the next chapter would take you next week, I'M SERIOUS. *laughs* I'm sooo sorry if you won't be hearing from me until then. *bows*

Again I thank you for the faves, follows, reads, and reviews! Happy Easter Sunday!

**Disclaimer: I don't own ROTG, Frozen, or the Russian Folktale.**

**Chapter 5: Who's the Father? (Part 1)**

The second time Elsa slept that night, she had a dream.

It was her, building a snowman at the castle's courtyard. She was smiling like she'd been her happiest self, her hair in the same messy French-braid and her dress in that same icy teal. She wasn't using her powers though as she fashioned a little snowman, or rather, a snow girl from the white wonderland surrounding her. It took her hours before the creation was complete until she wiped the sweat from her brow in satisfaction.

Then a cold winter breeze came, stopping at the center of the yard, spinning and swirling until a tall icy figure came into view. It was a man, with a sharp chin, a pointed nose, and hair that spiked everywhere like angry white icicles. He held in his hand a long staff made of ice, and he wore what appeared to be a jumpsuit, like that of a jester's, with patterns of snowflakes and frost everywhere. His eyes were a deep blue… cold, menacing, and merciless. A devious grin painted his face as he held out his hand towards Elsa… or rather, the snow girl she made in front of her.

Then the child came to life, greeting the queen with the sweetest smile she has ever seen. But as soon as the little girl saw the man clad in ice, she began towards him, reaching out as if to leave her true maker forever.

"Come, my daughter…" the ice man whispered, sending chills up and down Elsa's spine. "Come to your Papa…"

"No!" Elsa protested, but she could not move from her place. She was frozen. "No, Snowflake! Stay with Mama!"

"But Papa's over there Mama…" the girl smiled as she continued towards the ice man. "Why can't you believe in him?"

Panic stirred within Elsa as she saw a blizzard ensue within the courtyard. The flurries blurred the child from her view, leaving her crying and reaching out for the snow girl who walked towards the man whom she called her Papa.

"Snowflake, come back!"

And then faintly, she had caught sight of the man clad in ice, staring accusing eyes at her as he held the winter child in his arms. He was floating above the ground, gradually floating farther and farther away from her while the storm raged around them.

"She's not yours…" the winter spirit hissed like the hiss of the cold winter winds. "She will _never _be yours…"

The queen found herself wailing yet unmoving from her place. She held out both of her arms, screaming at the top of her lungs with eyes wide and begging.

"Please!" she cried above the storm. "I beg you… give me back my daughter, please!"

And then the winter spirit, the Jack Frost of her dream rewarded her with a menacing glare, eyes flashing an angry shade of hot white light.

"_She is mine!"_

Elsa realized it wasn't a dream. It was a _nightmare._

….. ….

Jack Frost was excited to see his daughter.

Well, other than that, he was frantic to escape the guardians' clutches immediately. All night, he was bombarded with ridiculous advice on how to woo a girl by North while being reminded that it was taboo to be seen by a grown human, and let alone fall in love with one. Talk about paradox he thought. It was blatantly nonsensical to be talking about courting a total stranger when the real issue should have been to investigate the presence of a human wielding magic ice powers. To make matters worse, Bunnymund had proposed a challenge against Sandy on who could finish most mugs of eggnog (or in Bunny's case, carrot juice) in one sitting. He had to stand as referee, to his dismay. North joked all night about the victor getting to be Jack's best man on his wedding day, whenever that is or to who-ever he might be wed. Tooth was yelling about them getting cavities the whole nine. All night Jack groaned… the guardians definitely weren't themselves that night.

Jack guessed it might have been the eggnog. Or maybe Bunnymund went out of his way to poison the rotund man with his freakish chocolate chicken. Regardless, all he wanted was the party to end that night, which was another big surprise for him because Jack Frost usually adored parties to the bone.

The fairies were a different issue. They'd been crying all night as soon as he described what Elsa and Snowflake looked like and who they were to him. Well, he hadn't talked much about the Snow Queen anyway… it was just that the fairies didn't miss that warmth in his eyes whenever he mentioned a girl with the same powers as him. And he only mentioned that particular girl once.

But the major reason why the winter spirit desperately wanted the day to end was because he wanted tomorrow to come as soon as possible.

He wanted to see his little Snowflake at once.

Maybe it was because of the fact that Jack normally liked kids and that the girl had been born out of his powers that he felt such a deep connection with the child. It was a deep connection, much deeper than what he had with the Burgess children, with Jamie or even Sophie. Heck, he even felt that it was deeper than the friendship he had with the guardians. It was definitely more.

It was like she really was family. _His _family. Blood and soul.

It had been a while since he had one.

"Arendelle," Jack grinned as he hovered above the clouds. "I never thought I'd miss seeing you again."

He drank in the familiar sights, watching as the fog rose above the villages, dissolving into a myriad of colors. He watched the sun peep through the eastern mountains, bathing the kingdom in warm morning light against the cold wintry air. Jack began to appreciate the beauty of Arendelle, remembering the stories he once listened to in his earlier years about fools and kings and damsels in distress. He figured the place would make the perfect setting…

Suddenly Jack felt something flutter inside the hood of his jacket. Soon a little fairy shot up and blocked his view, twittering and fluttering her wings as if she was forcing him to turn back around.

"Baby Tooth!" Jack exclaimed, clearly surprised that he had the fairy with him all along. "What are you doing here?"

All he received was a series of tweeting sounds from the little fairy.

"Never mind," he said as he dove passed the clouds towards the castle where his daughter was. Baby Tooth rolled her eyes as she trailed after the mischievous winter spirit. All she was meaning to say to him was that he had forgotten to say goodbye to the others last night.

"Papa's comiiiiing!" he cheered, his voice echoing through the cold morning air.

And then he was speeding through houses and stalls and towers. His youthful laughter rang in the air, startling some early morning bystanders who muttered over how cold the morning air was. Jack rounded the castle once, like an eagle looking for where it would descend. Soon he spotted a big fancy window, guessing that the room might have belonged to either the queen or the princess. It was not in his nature to intrude in the personal spaces of women, but he guessed that the child might have slept with one of the damsels.

He hovered towards the window pane, finding that it was unlatched. Opening it, he found a large pink room decked with everything he considered as girly and fancy and could only belong to someone who was royalty. He saw a bed with an off-white canopy, and judging by the thick tufts of strawberry blonde hair that peeked through the layers upon layers of blankets, he knew that the room belonged to the perky Princess Anna.

Jack knocked on the window three times, wearing a cocky smirk. "Rise and shine, princess."

The sound of his voice made Anna sit up too quickly from her slumber. The sight of her almost made Jack want to fall off of the ledge as her hair was sticking out everywhere like a big bird's nest and drool was pooling out of the side of her mouth. Baby Tooth shook her little head, displeased with seeing a 'princess' in such an unruly get-up.

"Huh, who is it?" Anna asked groggily, her eyes still half-mast from sleep. A soft snore resounded from her as her being slowly drifted back to sleep.

Jack tried to fight back a laugh. "Uhm, it's Jack Frost, Anna. Like I said I came back to see Snowflake. Where is she anyway?"

Anna stretched her arms and shuddered, feeling the winter air seep inside her room. "Brrr… someone, close the window…" She yawned. "Huh.. wh-what? Oh, Hi Jack…" then she snored.

"Uhm…" Jack scratched the back of his neck uncertainly, still trying not to laugh at the princess' unpolished appearance. "I'm looking for Snowflake Anna. Do you know where she is?"

Anna drowsily opened an eye at him and pointed to her right. "Across the hall… Elsa's…" she yawned, snored, then held her head up again. "Berdoom…" Then she cocked her head again and snored.

Jack let out a small chuckle as he floated out the room and made a small salute. "Thanks. Love the hair by the way."

And then Baby Tooth closed the window, following Jack as he flew to the other side of the wing.

"Huh-What? Oh…" And Anna dozed off again.

….. ….

Snowflake woke up ahead of her mother.

She let out a soft yawn as she gently wriggled out of her mother's arms and stepped on the soft blue carpet of the room. She loved the pastel hues of the walls, quietly observing the dark blue diamonds and snowflakes designs on every side. She tried to stifle a giggle, knowing that being excited that early in the morning might wake her Mama up.

When Snowflake saw Elsa's brows crease, and when she observed that she began to shift uncomfortably in her bed, the child quietly pulled the nearby chair and sat on it to look at her sleeping mother carefully.

"Mama's all sweaty." She whispered to no one in particular. "I wonder why?"

"Please…" Elsa murmured in her sleep. "D-don't… go…"

Snowflake tilted her head to the side as she gently poked her Mama's left cheek. "But I'm not going anywhere Mama."

"Please…" Elsa murmured again then sighed.

"Hmmm" Snowflake hummed. "Mama talks in her sleep." Then she continued poking Elsa's cheek face gently.

Little did the child know that her absence in the queen's embrace was the cause of Elsa's uneasy demise.

_Toc-toc-toc_

Snowflake turned her head and saw the Guardian of Fun floating outside her mother's window. Excitedly, she sprinted towards the window and unlatched it so that the winter spirit could come inside. As soon as Jack Frost set foot on the room, the little girl jumped and wrapped her little arms around his neck.

"Papa!"

"Shhh…" Jack hushed. "Hello kiddo. We should keep quiet or we might wake up your Mama."

The child nodded obediently and released her hold on Jack.

"Remember the game, Snowflake?" Jack winked.

Snowflake gave him a confused look until her lips formed an 'o' in realization. She bobbed her head, giggling excitedly as she remembered that she was not supposed to make Jack's presence known to Elsa. At this, he fondly ruffled the little girl's hair and gave her his winning smile.

Baby Tooth zoomed in and closed the windows, chattering her little teeth from the morning cold. When the snow child spotted the little fairy her blue eyes widened in fascination.

"Pretty…" Snowflake beamed, pointing at the little thing.

"Snowflake, this is Baby Tooth, a mini tooth fairy." Jack said, introducing the fairy to his daughter. "Baby Tooth, this is my daughter, Snowflake."

When Baby Tooth saw the little girl's angelic face (not to mention her pearly white teeth that came from her father), she began to swoon and faint. Snowflake caught her in her palms and eyed the creature worriedly.

"Papa! She fell!" she gasped. She began poking the little fairy's tummy with worry.

Jack chuckled as he ruffled the little girl's hair again. "Don't worry, that's a normal thing. You'll get used to it."

The girl gave him another confused look then shrugged the matter off.

"Sit down!" Snowflake ordered in a whisper.

"Alright, my lady." Jack smiled.

Soon Snowflake was pulling at her father's arm, making him sit on a nearby arm chair as she sat across a footstool. Jack laughed softly as the girl began recollecting the events of the previous afternoon in soft whispers, using her little arms to accentuate the details of every person, place and thing she saw.

"Mama introduced me to the staff and they were all nice people. She said that I was a princess and every one of them was my servant and uncle and aunt and grandma and grandpa and big bro and big sis and I could play with them when they're not busy and, and… we toured the castle. And then we played snowball fights and there was snow flying everywhere! And we built castles and then we went into the gallery and then we ate chocolate for dinner and then Auntie Anna taught me how to braid my hair and then I met Olaf and Sven and Uncle Kristoff and-"

"Woah, woah, whoa, slow down buddy," Jack snickered as Snowflake let in a huge intake of air. "You have to remember to breathe when you're talking, okay?"

Snowflake was standing on the stool this time, forgetting that she was still holding Baby Tooth in her hand as she flailed her arms in sheer excitement. "But a loooooooooooot of things happened Papa! You could have seen it! Last night the sky was all awake too and-"

The both of them flinched when they heard the sound of shuffling blankets and a soft groan. Jack forgot that the room had also belonged to Elsa and then he realized with dread that the young woman was now waking up.

"Uhm…" Elsa groaned as she sat up from her bed, the blankets around her slipping to the floor. "S-Snowflake?"

Jack's jaw almost hit the floor when he saw her.

Her hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, framing her heart shaped face that was absent of any form of make-up. Her half-mast eyes looked like they were twinkling in the morning light, and her cheeks flushed pink, probably the cause of the cold weather. Her naturally pink lips parted as she let off a soft yawn, her arms stretching a bit as she straightened her position. She wore a thin, baby-blue nightgown that ended at her ankles, the sleeve coming off at her right shoulder and the neckline plunged dangerously low…

Jack looked away, embarrassed.

She looked beautiful in the morning.

"Mama!"

Snowflake greeted her as she clumsily ran towards the queen. Elsa startlingly returned the hug until her expression softened into what Jack saw as relief and tearful joy.

"Good morning Mama!" Snowflake beamed, slowly withdrawing from Elsa's tight embrace. When she saw that there was a tear falling from Elsa's left eye, her brows scrunched in worry and confusion. "Mama, why are you crying?"

"Huh?" Elsa noticed that she had probably been crying as she woke up. She gingerly wiped the tear from her eye and smiled at her sweet snow daughter, pinching her cheeks gently as she touched her nose to hers. "Oh this is nothing sweetie, Mama just had a bad dream is all."

"Bad dream?" Snowflake asked. "Why? What's the bad dream Mama?"

"Oh, it was nothing. Mama doesn't even remember what the dream was about." She lied.

Snowflake gave her another confused look, then shrugged the matter off. She then turned around, meaning to tell Elsa that Jack Frost was there in the room. But Jack knew what the kid was about to do so he pressed his finger to his lips to urge the little girl to keep quiet.

"Remember the game Snowflake." Jack winked.

And the child nodded in understanding.

Baby Tooth began to regain her consciousness, shooting out of Snowflake's grip. Elsa stumbled back with a squeak when she saw a human-looking hummingbird fly all around the room. Snowflake clapped happily upon seeing the fairy alive and well, letting out excited giggles as she pointed towards the creature for Elsa's benefit.

"Wha-What is that?!" Elsa asked, clutching her hand to her chest.

"That's Baby Tooth Mama! Papa says she's a mini-tooth fairy!" she said excitedly.

Elsa looked at her daughter with panicked eyes. "Y-your Papa?"

Snowflake nodded. Jack was about to remind the kid again about the 'game' when she opened her mouth and said something he did not expect.

"Uh-huh. She came inside the window and I know that Papa sent her inside so I can have a new playmate!" she beamed.

Now, though the child was only half a day old, she was no liar. Anna had told her the day before that lies often did more harm than good. But the girl possessed the same cleverness her father had, and settled with the half-truth for Jack's sake.

The Winter Spirit quirked his brow up, impressed at the little girl.

Elsa however seemed like she was about to panic. Not because of the presence of the strange little creature flying in circles inside her bedroom, but because she still couldn't recover from the nightmare she had that night.

But then her features softened. Somehow she understood that the child might have perhaps longed for a father. It was only normal since she believed she had created the child on her own, and that it was common for kids to long for a complete family. Elsa decided she shouldn't dwell on her fears of losing the child. The stories about Jack Frost and the Snow maiden were only legends after all… Snowflake was her creation, her _child, hers…_ If she could keep Olaf alive and well through a cloud of flurry all year round, then she could definitely raise a child on her own and make her stay with her forever.

So Elsa ignored her quips about an invisible 'Papa'. She had work to do that day anyway.

"Say hello to Baby Tooth Mama!" Snowflake told her.

The queen smiled, deciding to humor the child. Seeing the fairy didn't come off a surprise to her. If trolls existed then the likelihood of fairies shouldn't be a shock to her.

Jack only wondered how someone who believed in fairies and have ice powers could not believe in him who had always been there from the start.

"Hello Baby Tooth." Elsa smiled politely at the fairy that was now hovering in front of her.

Baby Tooth stared at Elsa, studying her features. Of course, being one of Jack's thousands of fairy admirers, she had to know about her potential rival for the Winter Spirit's heart. She studied the light dusting of freckles on her skin, and the wide blue eyes that mimicked that of big blue glaciers. The girl's skin was smooth as a babe's, and her breath was cool and fresh as mint, though she had only woken up. Baby Tooth's mouth opened in disbelief. _She was beautiful._

"What's she saying?" Elsa asked the child as she watched the fairy tweet mourning calls on the girl's palm.

"I think she's crying too." Snowflake observed.

"Why would she cry?" Elsa asked.

"Because she thinks your beautiful." Jack laughed, though he knew Elsa wouldn't hear him.

"Baby Tooth thinks you're pretty Mama." Snowflake said.

Elsa smiled, though she didn't understand why the little fairy would cry.

"There there baby Tooth," the snow child cooed, softly caressing the fairy's feathers. "Mama thinks you're pretty too, right Mama?"

"Of course." Elsa agreed. She did find the little thing pretty with all its green, blue and gold feathers. She was like a cross between a sprite and a hummingbird, which fascinated the queen moments after the child introduced the creature to her.

When Baby Tooth looked up and saw Elsa's smiling face, she gasped. _Her teeth were even more beautiful. _That was when the fairy began to love the queen like she was a fairy goddess worthy of her worship.

Elsa held out her palm and Baby Tooth flew forward to perch on the queen's hand. Baby Tooth thought that the feeling of her hands felt familiar. It was cold as ice… just like Jack's.

"I think she likes me." Elsa beamed.

Jack grinned from across the room, balancing himself on his staff as he observed the ladies marveling at Baby Tooth. Soon Elsa stood and let the fairy fly away towards Jack.

"It's time to wash up Snowflake." Elsa told the little girl. "It's a big day today. My cousin and her husband from Corona will be visiting today, so you have to be on your best behavior okay?"

"Okay Mama!" Snowflake smiled, her eyes twinkling at the idea of meeting new people. She turned towards Baby Tooth and waved. "Bye Baby Tooth!" Then she turned to Jack and whispered (though Elsa heard it), "See you later Papa!"

Then Snowflake sprinted towards the door, a trail of thin ice appearing and disappearing behind her. Elsa was left standing there, eyes glued to where the child called out to her Papa. Jack froze.

_Is this it?_ Jack asked himself. _Can she finally see me?_

Elsa stared. All she felt was the heaviness in her heart she was yet to understand. She didn't know why she felt so uneasy whenever Snowflake spoke of a Papa she couldn't see. She guessed it might have been Anna's doing, or maybe because she had thought of the Snow Maiden of the story when creating her that she had an inclination to yearn for her Papa. Regardless, Elsa chose to lock the disturbing feeling away in her heart.

She didn't want the girl to go away. Suddenly with Snowflake there, her family seemed to be so complete, even though she had just recently entered her life. If Jack Frost did exist, it would mean that the child's time with her would be numbered.

_Jack Frost isn't real. _Elsa thought. _He can't be real._

Elsa began to walk towards where Jack was. The guardian's breath hitched. The closer she came, the more he felt like his heart was racing. _Except it didn't. _ His heart had lost its function ever since he died, but the slow measured steps Elsa took felt like his heart was alert and awake, beating wildly like he was still alive. He drank in her elegance. Even in the wake of the morning she still looked classy and perfect. Her hair looked silky, her skin looked soft, her lips seemed luscious… and her eyes… Jack felt like he was going to drown in them.

_She's coming over here…_

Elsa watched as the window of her room opened by itself.

_I am the Snow Queen. Snowflake was born because of me. He isn't real._

Jack was slowly backing away towards the window he opened.

_A few seconds more and the wind can take me home._

Just when Jack Frost thought that the queen has finally seen him… she went through the winter spirit and closed the windows. In that one instance, a dusting of snow fell upon them, voicing the distress of two hearts that were frozen, longing and afraid.

_She can't see me._

_I don't want to see him._

Baby Tooth looked at the Winter Spirit's dejected expression, hoping and wishing she knew what to do.

… …..

"What do you mean the other dignitaries are coming?"

Elsa was in her office, startled by the news that it wasn't only her cousin that was coming to visit Arendelle this time of the year. Apparently, she had forgotten that the day was supposed to be the birthday of the Duke of Strabald's wife, who was a duchess of Arendelle before marrying the duke. She groaned quietly at her desk, cursing herself for forgetting such an event.

"Thank you for reminding me," she sighed, then smiled politely at Kai. "You may be excused."

"Yes, your majesty." Kai replied then dismissed himself.

Anna was headed towards the office with Snowflake who was busy chatting about everything she did with Jack that morning. After washing up, Jack followed after her asking for a tour of the castle. The girl wore that same mischievous grin, pulling at her father's sleeve to make him braid her hair. Anna could just imagine the unease that the winter spirit must've felt. She laughed when the girl described how Jack struggled to make a simple French braid until deciding that she would be the one to braid _his _hair.

"But then Papa was complaining that his hair wasn't long enough to braid and that he said he was a guy and guys don't braid their hair." Snowflake told her auntie. "So I told him, we go flying instead!"

"Ah, so no wonder you were late for breakfast!" Anna giggled, touching the girl's nose.

"Flying was really fun!" the girl said, waving her arms like she was an airplane. "I was like weeee, and Baby Tooth was there too. But then Papa heard my tummy grumble and he said I should be back down for breakfast and that Mama might be looking for me." She paused at this then crossed her arms and pouted. "And I said, 'no fair!' because we only just started, but then he let me down at the garden, and he was tickling me and I was laughing and it was really, really, really fun!"

"Wow! That's nice to hear. So where's your Papa now anyway?"

The moment they entered the queen's office, their tones died down to a silence at seeing the frost coating the majority of the walls.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna asked her sister who was frantically reorganizing files that had already been organized before.

"I'm… I'm…" Elsa stopped what she was doing and sighed. "I'm freaking out."

Slowly the frost receded into mist as Elsa slumped down against her chair, slowly massaging her temples. Snowflake bounced towards her and caressed her face.

"Mama looks tired." Snowflake murmured.

"What's the matter Elsa? You looked like you were about to cause World Winter Two." Anna joked.

Elsa gave her a small glare then softened her features when Snowflake fixed the messy bangs across her forehead.

"I forgot that the Duke of Strabald's wife's birthday was today. And we even promised to throw a grand ball in her honor and I forgot to make preparations and everything!" Elsa groaned helplessly. "I was so wrapped up with the news that Rapunzel and Eugene were coming here that I forgot that we also sent invitations to foreign dignitaries last week."

Anna let out a nervous laugh. "Oh… about that… I was the one who actually took over the preparations."

Elsa blinked then looked at her sister incredulously. "Wait. What?"

"Well… you were kind of not getting enough sleep the past weeks… so… I pulled out the file from your desk and told everyone I was in charge of the preparations…?"

Anna braced herself for what she was expecting as the scolding of her life when Elsa stood up from her seat and rewarded the unsuspecting princess with a tight hug.

"Woah! I did not see that coming!" Anna said, surprised at Elsa's reaction.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you Anna!" Elsa cried happily against her shoulder.

"Snowflake wants hugs too!" Snowflake giggled as she joined the other ladies in a group hug.

And so that morning, the castle had been busy with preparations. Streamers were everywhere and flowers and vines made of ice decked the walls in elegant swirls. The palace bakers sent in one big cake after another, while the castle chefs delivered a gorgeous parade of Arendelle's most delectable delicacies. Party planners, jesters, musicians, all loyal to the queen had willingly committed to the preparations, though arrangements were hasty. Nevertheless, the queen had great faith in the skills of her people in the same way her people had faith in her wisdom and power.

The ship from Corona docked at exactly nine o'clock where Anna met with the princess and her husband herself. Elsa insisted that she took over the preparations in her place, knowing that Anna was incredibly excited to meet their cousin.

"Can I come with Auntie Anna? Please?" Snowflake pleaded to her mother.

Elsa was uncertain. She didn't know what to tell her as she was afraid of what Rapunzel might think. She was already having trouble explaining to her current guests about the existence of Snowflake, and she couldn't bear the stress of having to spill it to a relative that was equally as spritely as Anna.

"Sorry sweetie," Anna apologized for Elsa's sake. "I need to go meet them on my own. Maybe you can talk to them later?"

The two sisters almost panicked at the sight of the snow child about to cry when Jack Frost came along behind her, giving off a wink.

"How about you spend the day with your Papa, okay?" Anna whispered to the girl, giving Snowflake her own wink.

Snowflake's eyes brightened at this as she replied a bubbly, "Okay!"

Elsa half-wondered what her sister whispered to the girl as she watched Snowflake holding on to something invisible while she left. She turned her back and went straight to the ballroom…

_Don't see… Don't feel…_

According to the Princess of Corona's letter, the couple was expecting a baby who was currently about a month old. That's what drove Anna to excitement, having something equally as juicy of news to spill to their long awaited relatives.

"Elsa's a mother?!"

Passers-by at the ports stared at the awestruck brunette who was silenced by their strawberry blonde princess. Eugene looked just as dumbfounded as his beloved wife. They were not expecting such news at their arrival.

"H-How did that happen? I mean, who's the father?" Rapunzel asked, still finding it quite a bit of a shock.

"Well-"

Eugene began laughing like a bafoon. "Woah! I can't believe it Punzie! Who knew a guy would hit on someone as uptight as the Ice Queen! I mean come on, I-"

The man stopped when the two females before him sent him deadly glares. Eugene straightened himself and gulped.

"What I meant was, wow! Congratulations to your sister! I mean, whoo, boy! I bet her kid's absolutely lovely!" he laughed sheepishly.

"That's what I thought you said." Rapunzel remarked sarcastically. "Anyways, I'm excited to meet her Anna! But who is the father anyway?"

Now Anna was deciding whether she should spill the beans to her cousin or not. She didn't want any misunderstandings to take place within the family so she settled with the easiest part to tell.

"Well, actually about that," Anna began. "Snowflake's not born in the natural way, per se. I mean you do know about Elsa's ice powers, right?"

"Not to mention her icy personality…" Eugene muttered. (Elsa had issues with the guy after discovering that he made her cousin pregnant in just a month after their wedding) Rapunzel elbowed him at the ribs.

Anna continued. "Well, we were telling stories about Jack Frost yesterday to some kids, and then we were telling them about the Legend of the Child of Winter Solstice. You know, the Snow Maiden?"

Rapunzel nodded at this. "Yeah, that's right, the one Mother Gothel told me when I was five."

"I thought we agreed not mentioning her name again Punzie." Eugene whispered to her.

"Yeah, sorry."

Anna coughed, "Well, anyway, I kind of joked about her making me one, and then she did make one but then the real as in, really real JACK FROST came along and helped her make the child and-"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold up." Eugene stopped Anna's rant. "What do you mean Jack Frost came along?"

"Yes! Jack Frost is real." Anna said.

Eugene and Rapunzel looked at Anna like she had said something crazy. Anna knew they would act like this, but she continued telling the story anyway.

"Anyway, he was invisible to us that time since we didn't believe in him because you have to believe in him to see him and all. And then suddenly there was a BLAST and the child came to life! And she has HER ICE POWERS, can you believe it? And then she started calling Elsa her Mama, and Jack her Papa," Anna paused for an intake of air. "But then Elsa can't see Jack because she still doesn't believe in him and all. But I figured I'd make a way for her to believe. They don't call me Anna the Love Expert for nothing!"

Eugene chuckled, planting his hands on his hips. "No one has called you that since the dark ages, Anna."

Rapunzel elbowed him at the ribs for the second time.

"Ow!"

Rapunzel shook her head and looked at Anna with a solemn expression.

"Anna, seriously… who's the father? We'd like to meet him."

Anna just stared at them, mentally slapping herself. She needed a Plan B to make them believe her.

"Well, alright!" Anna laughed, rolling her eyes as she pulled the two by the wrists. "You'll just have to see him for yourself then!"

And so the perky princess of Arendelle lead them through the bustling crowds towards the castle, leaving their escorts behind except the ever loyal horse named Maximus and the cute chameleon Pascal to introduce them to the Snow Child… and hopefully, to earn a couple more witnesses about the reality that was Jack Frost.

… ….

**A/N: That was a long one wasn't it? Personally, I think this chapter sucks. I preferred the Part 2 of this better, but you can't go to two without passing through one can you, huh? Tell me what you think!**

**Spolier Alert: The moment you've been waiting for happens next chapter…**


	7. Chapter 6: Who's the Father? (Part II)

I would like to dedicate this chapter to Story Hunter who took the time to draw a cute sketch of Snowflake! I never knew she would win some people's hearts enough for some wickedly talented people to draw her. If you noticed the new cover art, it was Story Hunter who drew it! :) i could show you guys the sketches this wonderful reader drew so just PM me about it. :)

And also to MischievousRose who has become my friend here in FanFiction. I never knew I'd meet a _kababayan _who'd be as passionate about writing as I am. :-) really you guys are the best! TT_TT

To the FF users who also offered to help me translate, I would like to extend my thanks. :-) Apparently, what I meant was Bicol to English, not Filipino... Ehehe

To the guest reviewer who comented about Snowflake's 'overly cuteness'... Honestly I had mixed feelings about your review, but I appreciated it all the same. :D I understand what you meant about the tyke being too cute. I thank Dayns for echoing out my thoughts, (I could not have said it better) and I know that I can't please everybody with my OCs. In a cyberworld filled with readers and writers, everyone is a critic. I thank you for taking the time for reading my fic, and for getting me pumped up to do my best! :)

In addition, I would like to share some trivia on how I fashioned Snowflake's character. Though she seems to appear as an ideal child, I believe no kid is too perfect (as no author is too perfect). I based Snowflake's personality on our landlord's grand daughter (who by the way is the most precious little darling I've ever met, and I miss her already). I'm not very fond of kids but I bet if you met the tyke you'd definitely love her! (And that's why I thought it might have been the reason why you guys found Snowflake so lovable)

And about her name, I originally didn't want to name her 'Snowflake' because a lot of fan fic writers had been using that name already. But when I researched about Snegurochka for references, I found that there was a rendition of the folktale whereas the snow maiden was named 'Snowflake' so I decided to keep the name to keep the link of this fan fic to the folktale I based it on.

And of course obviously, you guys already know that I added a smidge of Jelsa to Snowflake's personality. :)

So I hope that clears up stuff for all of us. I will do my best to make my OCs as pleasing as possible for your reading pleasure. Thank you so much for supporting this fic all the way. ;D

**Disclaimer: I do not own ROTG, Frozen, or Snegurochka**

**Chapter 6: Who's the Father? (Part Two)**

Jack tried to forget that one moment in Elsa's bedroom when he thought she saw him.

Instead he fixed his eyes on the girl he was more than excited to see. He had been ecstatic upon knowing he had her to himself for the rest of the morning, with the princess meeting some cousins by the docks, and the queen making haste with party preparations.

Jack couldn't help but smile at the little snow child's antics while he watched her skate through trails of ice in the empty corridors, Baby Tooth trailing behind her. Snowflake's bubbly laughter went everywhere from one side of the walls to another as she zoomed, glided, spinned and danced through the carpeted floors, now streamed with ice. She made a tiny winter wonderland for herself in the limited corners of each lobby they passed, from mini-ice towers built sticking to the corners of the rooms to spinning tunnels of ice all over the walls and the ceilings. This certainly did not help the butlers keep themselves from the cold and from keeping the place warm in time for that day's celebration, nor Baby Tooth who was shivering and sneezing away because of the cold.

And a few slippery accidents resulted in Snowflake thawing the whole white kingdom she made and bowing apologies at the people who were more than willing to forgive her for her cuteness.

Jack raised his brows, visibly impressed. Just like Elsa, the girl could just as easily thaw it out as she could conjure it. Again Jack thought if his magic could do the same since he never thought to try.

"Hey buddy," he asked when one of the servants sped away in haste after her apology. "How were you able to do that?"

Snowflake peered up at her father and tilted her head to the side. "Do what Papa?"

"Thaw the ice." Jack answered, leaning against his staff as he peered down at her. "How did you do that?

"Love!" the girl beamed, like the whole thing was obvious.

"Love?" Jack raised a brow and grinned. He didn't get how that was supposed to thaw the ice, but he knew enough about kids to not pull out his sarcasm against them.

"Uh-huh." Snowflake affirmed, hugging herself and twisting her body from side to side. "Love makes Snowflake all warm inside, so love also makes the snow around and melt outside!"

"Okay..." Jack smiled, still not getting how that was supposed to get him the hang of melting ice. He produced a lone snowflake, twirling it round and round through his fingers until it vanished into thin air. Baby Tooth marveled at the sight, glancing up at Jack in satisfaction. He smiled... Somehow all it took him were thoughts of the guardians of childhood, the kids of Burgess, and a sister he once had...

"And fun!" Snowflake added, skipping away and producing flakes of snow around her, like they were a bunch of blue firelfies following her around. "Fun makes me all warm too!"

"Well then," he smirked, lifting the girl into his arms and eventually placing her behind him for a piggy back ride. Baby Tooth grinned as well as she fluttered towards the inside of Jack's hood, holding out a tumbs up towards the snow child. "Let's see how warm you get after the fun we'll be having!"

The girl gasped excitedly. "We're gonna go flying again Papa?"

He nodded. Then he was off.

And because he was the Winter Spirit and Guardian of Fun, he encouraged the little girl to continue with her antics. He observed that the girl was a lover of fun herself, inspite of the complaints about the hype of youth mutely cussed by the adults that passed by.

Ocassionally, they'd run into some maids fretting over about decorations, housekeeping, and the rush of it all. According to Princess Anna, a party for some Duchess was to take place that day, and he had to babysit the little angel a while because the whole of Arendelle was apparently too busy to entertain her. He had to make sure to hide themselves between the high niches in the walls, stiffling the child's giggles with his palm.

As soon as everything was clear, he let out his own chuckles as he glided through the air, carrying the little girl on his back whenever no one was on sight.

"Hang on!"

Trills of angelic laughter filled the air space, with baritone chuckles echoed by the Winter Spirit following after. To Jack it felt so surreal and magical that he thought the time he'd been having with the girl that morning was just too good to be true. Sometimes they darted through the windows and soared through the cold morning skies, doing daredevil air dives and pulling pranks on passers by with snowballs that came out of nowhere. He was thrilled of the fact that the girl was not afraid. She would always pull at the fabric of his hood, pleading that he'd only take her higher.

"Higher up Papa!" she commanded above her own laughter.

"Aye, aye, captain!"

And then Jack soared up like a rocket, shooting passed the clouds until the whole of Arendelle castle appeared as small as a fist in Snowflake's eyes. She held her breath, marveling at the sights she saw beneath her. The fjord was the loveliest she'd ever seen, glad that winter wasn't cold enough to freeze the icy waters. She saw ships of different shapes and sizes gathering by ports, guessing that these might be the visitors her auntie Anna was talking about.

"Like what you see, Snowflake?" Jack grinned from over his shoulder. The little girl nodded, hugging her father tight around his neck as she murmured, "I love you Papa."

Jack felt an ache in his heart he didn't understand. But the ache he felt brought him nothing but happiness.

His attention was caught by a stream of rainbow lights he saw from the distance. He squinted his eyes, silently regretting that he'd have to end his time with her so suddenly. Those northern lights clearly came from North, and for him to be using the signal for that time of day only meant that there might be trouble.

With a heavy heart, he dove back towards Arendelle castle in one swift motion. The winds whipped through them in a ghostly whisper, and it made Snowflake cling tighter to Jack's hoodie. He chose to fly towards the wing of the palace where the servants left their empty rooms, speeding passed more windows until he came upon a small kitchen that was open for anyone's use. It was conveniently located between a nearby exit to the castle borders and the secret entrance Anna uses for her own shenanigans. How Jack knew that was a question to be answered for later, but for now, he knew it was time for him to say goodbye.

"Again!" Snowflake cheered as soon as he made his quiet descent. She hopped excitedly against the floorboards, sparks of snow flying everywhere with each giddy jump she took.

Jack grinned, sitting against a nearby wooden counter top. He couldn't... He couldn't just say goodbye to her. Not just yet. "Okay kiddo, but this is the last one. Sooner or later, your aunt's gonna be looking for you."

"Aaw." Snowflake complained, puffing her cheeks and folding her arms. "But I wanna go three more rounds!"

Jack raised a brow at her and fought back a grin, "Three more rounds? But Daddy's gonna have to go sometime. I still have work to do ya know?"

At the mention of him leaving again, Snowflake gazed up at him with evident sadness. "Snowflake doesn't want Papa to leave."

"It'll only be for a while kiddo." he said, jumping off from the counter and crouching to meet the girl's height. "Besides, you have Auntie Anna and your Mama and your other friends here, right? It's gonna be okay. Papa will come visit you everyday."

"But Auntie Anna's meeting some people." the girl said, her cheeks still puffed, and her thin lips quivering a little as if to fight back a sob. "Uncle Kristoff's at work with Sven, and Mama is busy..."

Jack frowned at this. The only thing he knew about Elsa was that she was a queen with ice powers, and he understood the gravity of what her role entails. But the existence of Snowflake has somehow given him a fatherly trait, wanting only the best for a child he'd only been parenting for less than a day. Aside from that, Jack Frost naturally had a soft spot for kids. He thought it quite unjust for such an adorable little girl to be left hanging around by herself. And though he barely knew Elsa, he felt a tug of disappointment swell within his chest at the woman who was supposed to be Snowflake's mama.

"Well, your Mama is a queen after all." Jack smiled in reassurance. "You understand that queens and princesses got duties to do right?" Jack touched the tip of her nose. "And your duty, milady, is to wait for me until I get back."

Now the girl had another thing she inherited from Jack. It was his stubornness.

Her brows scrunched and her eyes turned fierce, like she was accusing her father of a heinous crime. Jack worried that the girl might cause an ultra tantrum, looking around him to see if someone might spot them... or rather her, wailing against a blank wall.

"Then I don't wanna be a princess anymore!" Snowflake groaned. "Waiting is no fun! I just want you to stay and never leave!"

Now it was Jack's turn to groan, but he wanted to fight it. As much as he didn't want to leave her, he still had work to do. He had to make it snow somewhere in the western regions and he still had to report back to the guardians on why he left so soon. And he had to respond to North's signal as soon as possible.

"Snow..." he sighed, raking his hair with his fingers."Papa has to go. If you want three more rounds then we'll do it okay? But Papa has to-"

"No!" she said, stomping her foot and marking the wooden floor with an ugly spark of red frost. Jack held back a gasp. He had never seen red ice before, but the color clearly meant that the girl was angry.

Jack pulled out a face which he assumed was his 'authotlritative-fatherly' expression.

"Snowflake," he warned, his eyes narrowed into half slits. "Don't you dare use that tone around me young lady."

The girl's features softened, but her eyes threatened to betray her with tears. Her voice broke a little, lacing her arms around his neck and burying her face in Jack's hoodie.

"But I don't want Papa to leave... It's no fun without you here..."she whined, tracing the frost on the neckline of his jacket with her finger.

Jack sighed as he returned the little girl's hug. "I'm sorry buddy... But you just gotta wait for a little while okay?"

Snowflake just wriggled closer into him, sobbing a little against his frost-covered sweater.

"Tell you what buddy," Jack smiled as he pulled her out of the embrace and stared at her eyes with promise. "I'll take you to Papa's workplace someday, and you'll have me to yourself the whole day. But you'll have to promise to be a good girl and wait patiently okay?"

Snowflake stared at her father with pleading eyes. When her shoulders drooped and her gaze dropped to the floor, Jack knew she finally relented. He patted her head gently and kissed the tip of her nose, earning him sweet giggles from the precious little girl.

It broke his heart that he'd have to leave her again.

"Oh Jack there you are!"

Jack snapped his head at the creaky wooden door of the small kitchen. It was Princess Anna wearing a thick magenta coat and an olive green dress underneath. She was wearing that ridiculously happy grin which Jack suspected was up to no good, returning the greeting with a devious smile of his own. He was still not accustomed to being seen by her, but he had to admit that he liked her company if not as much as he loved Snowflake's.

"Hey." Jack stood up, meaning to ask why she was back so soon when he found two others trailing behind her.

It was a man and a woman, both wearing dark purple cloaks pinned around their necks by an emblem of the sun. The woman was beautiful, with short brown spiky hair and green eyes. Her face had a light dusting of freckles, and a few more features here and there made the guardian guess that she was a relative of the Arendelle royal family. The man was tall with hair that was a darker shade of brown and a small goatee. Though he stood with the stance of someone who was bound to be crowned king, his dark brown eyes and deceptive smirk reminded Jack a little of himself and an inkling that this man was not of an all-serious demeanor.

His thoughts were confirmed when the man's teeth began to chatter upon entering the kitchen.

"Did your sister just turn down the temperature here, or is it just she did this knowing it'll piss me off?" the guy asked.

"Eugene!" the woman scolded him. "We're already getting you some cocoa remember? Don't be difficult."

"But it's a freezer here in the castle! Sure, I wouldn't complain about snow in the summer... But snow inside the castle in the middle of winter?! What's the point of staying warm inside when it's winter wonderland in here?!" he ranted.

The woman rolled her eyes. "And I thought I was the pregnant one."

"I know what we're gonna have to do Punzie." he said suddenly with a look of unrelenting determination. "We're going to have to pray hard for a baby with fire powers, and we'll see what that ice chick of a queen says when that happens! Hah!"

"Eugene!" the woman began to pinch his ear.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Oh," Anna said, forgetting that she was with some others. "I uhm, I'd like you guys to meet her. This is Snowflake!"

Jack observed as they stopped on their tracks how their eyes widened in fascination upon seeing his daughter. The girl who was apparently called 'Punzie' laced her arm around the man named Eugene as they slowly made their way to Snowflake.

Punzie gasped. "Oh my stars! Anna..."

"She looks exactly like Elsa..." Eugene breathed.

"What did I tell you guys!" Anna smirked, placing her hands on her hips. "She's Elsa's daughter alright!"

"B-but..." Punzie looked from Anna to the girl and back to Anna. "She seems... Too old. I thought what you meant by Elsa's child was... A newborn or something."

"No I didn't." Anna shook her head. "I told you, Elsa did make her using her powers. With the help of Jack Frost, of course!"

Jack thought his jaw would hit the floor after hearing Anna's statement.

_What the heck is she up to?_

"Who're you?" Snowflake asked the brunette princess, pointing a little finger towards her.

Punzie turned her gaze towards the girl and smiled warmly at her. She bent down to meet her height and held out a dainty hand.

"My name is Rapunzel, Princess of Corona." she smiled. "But you can call me Aunt Punzie. I'm your aunt and mum's cousin."

Snowflake's eyes widened as her smile stretched from ear to ear. "Really? It means I have a new auntie!"

Rapunzel giggled when the girl clumsily shook her hand with both of hers. She then turned to Eugene and pointed at him curiously.

"And who're you?"

Eugene coughed a bit then bent down in what Jack thought was a ridiculous mimickery of a knight. He wriggled his brows at the little girl and began introducing myself.

"I am the devilishly talented, incredibly handsome, and genuinely benevolent prince and husband to the princess of Corona." He grabbed Snowflake's little hand and kissed it. "Flynn Rider, your majesty." And he winked.

The little girl giggled as she instantly withdrew her hand from Eugene's kiss. "You're wierd!"

Jack found himself exploding in laughter at witnessing the man's priceless expression. Rapunzel and Anna had been laughing too, amused at Eugene's dejected face.

"He's just kidding sweetie." Rapunzel said as she wiped the stray tears from her eyes. "His name is actually Eugene Fitzherbert."

Snowflake scrunched her brows. She didn't understand what was so funny, but she ignored it anyway. If anything had been funny, it would be that the man's real name sounded funnier to her than the first.

So she was pretty blunt about it.

"Your real name is wierd too."

Now Jack fell on his rump in sheer laughter. He had to admit, the little girl certainly vied after him.

Anna was already slapping her knees and Rapunzel was nursing her stomache in sheer laughter. Both princesses laughed at how pained Eugene turned out to be. He stood, wearing a shocked-to-the-bone expression, mouthing to himself that the girl was just as blunt as her mother Elsa.

"You certainly are Elsa's daughter, kid." he murmured as he eyed the girl who still looked confused as ever. Strangely, Eugene felt nothing but amusement at her antics despite her earlier quips about his wierdness.

Soon the girl grinned. Eugene saw that when she smiled, she looked sort of less of Elsa. It was a devious little smirk. A smirk that meant she was up to no good. He liked it.

"I like it though." Snowflake beamed. She held out her hand, meaning to shake Eugene's larger one. "It means you're now my Uncle Euge!"

"Uncle Euge..." Eugene thought, smoothing his chin with his fingers. He then shook the little girl's hand and grinned. "I like it!"

Rapunzel and Anna had finally recovered from their laughter, nearing towards the girl who swiftly won the hearts of the couple from Corona. Jack felt proud of his daughter who genuinely adored the new visitors like they were also her family. He sighed, gazing over his shoulder to stare at Baby Tooth who watched him with expectant eyes.

"Let's go home Baby Tooth." Jack said.

But before he could stand, he found that his staff was no longer in his clutches. He clicked his tongue when he saw his favorite strawberry blonde princess smiling down wickedly upon him with the staff in her hands.

"Anna." He groaned warily as he extended his hand for the stick. "Give me back my staff."

Rapunzel watched as Anna was now suddenly holding a sheperd's staff in her hands, looking at the space in the kitchen where some pots, pans, and jars were piled up as if someone was there.

"What are you holding there Anna?" Rapunzel asked her.

But the princess of Arendelle just ignored her. Instead, she was looking at empty space asking, "Where the heck do you think you're going this time?"

Jack stared at her and made another exasperated sigh.

"I have work to do." he spat. "Now give me back my staff!"

Eugene watched as Anna drew the staff away from no one in particular. He looked at Rapunzel who shrugged her shoulders at seeing Anna's one-man pantomime show.

"What is she doing?" Eugene whispered through tight lips.

"I don't know..." Rapunzel eyed her worriedly. "Do you think she had breakfast this morning?"

"What about Snowflake?" Anna asked the guardian with a poker face.

"I'll come back to her as soon as I can!" he argued, trying to snatch the staff from her without having to hit her or anything.

"But look at the girl. By the looks of it, she almost cried." she said.

The both of them looked at Snowflake, who thanks to a child's short attention span (to Jack's relief) was eyeing a chamelion who they both didn't notice was there until it changed color.

"She seems fine." Jack quipped. "Now hand it over."

"Okay..." Anna drawled out, then held up her hand to stop Jack. "But before you do that, I need you to have to do something."

Jack rolled his eyes, getting tired of Anna's pestering him. He spread his arms in defeat and widened his eyes at her. "WHAT?!"

Anna raised a brow, then pointed a finger at a stupefied Eugene and Rapunzel.

"Make them see you." she ordered.

Jack looked at the princess incredulously, "I can't just make them do that!"

"You did it with me!" Anna argued. "How can it be impossible?"

"You believe in Jack Frost then you see Jack Frost!" Jack said, his patience thinning by the seconds. He didn't want to stay in the place any longer. One adult believer was trouble enough and he didn't want any more.

Rapunzel began to worry more about Anna's wierd behavior. She guessed it was the stress of being pregnant getting to her, or maybe it was just the fact that she wasn't used to her pulling pranks like this. Growing up under Gothel's care depraved her of the opportunity to get to know her cousins, so dealing with the whirlwind of a princess was beginning to freak her out.

Eugene on the other hand found the whole situation quite comical. From the very moment he met the spritely princess, he'd been on good terms with her. He couldn't say the same for her cold and classy sister whose very prescence left Eugene chilled to the bones... literally.

So it was Eugene who made the deal to approach Snowflake about the matter, leaving her poor and lovely wife agape at Anna's one man show.

"Hey kid," Eugene called her, leaning across a wooden counter top to grab her attention. "Who's your aunt talking to?"

Snowflake momentarily broke eye contact with a show-off Pascal and answered his question.

"She's talking to Papa!" she beamed.

Eugene quirked his brows, deciding to humor her. "Your Papa? You mean Jack Frost?"

Snowflake gave Pascal a grape and watched him change color with glee. "Uh-huh "

Eugene tapped his fingers against the wood, looking everywhere except at his still bothered wife as he thought of what to say next.

"And he's actually here... You mean right now, with us?" he asked.

"Yeah." Snowflake answered absently as she gave Pascal another kind of fruit. "But Papa often doesn't want to be seen... I wonder why?"

Eugene felt uncertain to ask the next, but he did anyway. "What are we supposed to do so that we can see him?"

Snowflake turned to him and shrugged. "Papa says you have to believe in him to see him. Why? Don't you believe in Papa?"

The brunette man looked to the side nervously, not sure about what to say...

"Well-"

"He's standing over there." Snowflake pointed at where Anna was still protecting a wooden staff

Eugene turned his gaze towards Anna and just looked. The little girl had seemed serious in saying that Jack Frost was her father, but Eugene found a hard time processing it. At first he seriously thought that she was joking, but then Eugene had this talent about knowing when one is a liar or not. He was a master thief before, so he knew everything there is to know about deceptive stunts. The more he stared, the more he believed the possibility of Snowflake's existence. He knew that Elsa's powerful after all. If he was able to marry a girl who once had 70ft length of crazy magical blonde hair, then some things in life shouldn't seem so surprising anymore... right?

So he stared and pictured him, feeling stupid in the sense that he was considering believing the words of a four year old girl. But then something changed in Eugene's line of vision, something spectacular... It was like a river of blue glowing veins, tracing shapes of a system of anatomies. At first they were moving limbs of icy white light, crawling all over empty spaces until it turned into something... or _someone _almost six foot tall, with shocking white hair, wearing a wierd blue top and brown trousers covered in frost all over. He had the palest skin Eugene has ever seen, a well sculpted nose that made him envy, and a set of teeth that put Flynn's smoulder to shame.

"Give it back!" the man argued against Anna, trying to snatch the staff away from her. Eugene took note of a green fairy hovering above the nape of his neck.

"Never!" Anna answered back with catty ferocity. "Not until you do as I say!"

Both their attentions were suddenly drawn toward Eugene Fitzherbert... eyes wide with awestruck horror and mouth agape like his jaw was about to hit the floor...

"Ja-Ja-Ja..."

"Eugene?" It was Rapunzel snapping out of her confused reverie, rushing beside Eugene and patting his back in concern. "What's the matter?"

"It's Ja-, It's Ja-"

Anna's eyes began to widen with wicked joy as the winter spirit stared back in equal bewilderment. He was doomed... Now another grown up mortal could see him... As if one grown up mortal was trouble enough, now there were two.

"Don't freak out!" Jack warned.

"Ja-, Ja-,"

"Don't freak out?" Rapunzel asked... Then her eyes stared wide with shock. Ever so slowly, she motioned her head towards the subject of Eugene's astonishment. There stood before them all... the legendary Jack Frost, in all his wintry glory, pale as the moon and cold as ice.

Jack stood there, horrified. Now, there were three...

"GHOST!"

To Jack it was all too sudden. The last things he remembered was Rapunzel grabbing a pan from the counter top... and her hitting him, square on the head.

"PAPA!"

...

A/N: please don't hurt me! Sorry. -.- there's still part three


	8. Chapter 7: Who's the Father? (Part III)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that isn't mine. Any names resembling anyone alive or dead are purely coincidental.**

**Chapter 7: Who's the Father? (Part Three)**

All morning, a bustle of activity brought a queer kind of heat within the walls of Arendelle castle.

Earlier that day, Elsa was certain that she might cause a blizzard in sheer worry over matters of the kingdom. After the events that happened the day before, with attending to the guests that remained after the recent Autumn Ball to the creation of a snow child, Elsa had forgotten that she had promised the Duke of Strabald, Lord Walter Raleigh Falconer to grace his wife with a birthday party.

Elsa remembered the kind-hearted Duchess very well, the lovely Lady Helena of Arendelle, second cousin to her late father and king. This woman had been in her teen years when she first met her, with smoky grey eyes and pitch black hair that the queen thought was as lovely as the night. The Duchess seemed to the queen as her role model, in speech, in knowledge, and benevolence. The lady had graced her with letters of congratulations and apologies days after her coronation day (for she could not attend because she had been sick) and she had mildly pestered the blonde damsel about her choice of a king a few months back. Elsa chuckled quietly to herself at the memories of opening those lavender-scented letters. Even after discovering that Elsa was different from any ordinary royalty, the duchess looked at her with the same gentleness she did when she was still the child thought to be normal and sad and afraid.

That was why she was quick to accept the duke's request, despite the fact that she had more pressing matters to attend to in the wake of her first year as queen. She could only thank the presence of the faithful Kai, who never left the young and inexperienced ruler's side in facing the trials that came with running the monarchy.

She let out a sigh as she walked through the ballrooms, observing the servants running from here to there. She blushed sometimes whenever a guest would catch sight of her and her half-distressed expressions, gracing them with shy smiles and bowing apologetic curtseys. It was shameful for a queen to be caught in a hurry. It was uncharacteristic of a ruler to do so as it was unethical. In fact, the Snow Queen had been wishing for the whole of that morning for the ground to swallow her up in sheer embarrassment, because of the lone fact that she had forgotten that today was the Duchess' birthday.

The guests merely returned her greetings, smiling in understanding as they offered assistance in preparations, even if only the ushering of other guests. Of course, she had to maintain her pride as Arendelle's self-sufficient ruler… but now, Elsa was just too tired too early to deny herself of more helping hands.

So she agreed. She left some of the nobles and aristocrats in charge of escorting the incoming visitors to their guest rooms. Elsa felt utterly embarrassed to make them do this, but she had no choice. She made a mental note to at least send gifts of their finest tradable goods to their kingdoms as a token of her appreciation. When she had given the order to Kai, however, his response had left her baffled for the second time that day.

"Princess Anna has already sent the gifts, your majesty." He said while he balanced stacks of salad plates in his arms. "In fact, she has requested for their assistance since the past week in the hopes of developing stronger ties with their countries."

Elsa blinked her eyes at this. "I… I see. Why haven't you told me anything about this?"

Kai smiled sheepishly yet politely at the queen, struggling to maintain the balance of his load.

"I… ooh… I thought that the princess has told you, your majesty." He replied.

"No, she only told me that she had the guest list ready, the decorations accounted for, the invitations sent, and the performers, cooks and bakers assigned for the event." Elsa murmured as she cupped her chin in thought. "She never told me about asking the other lords and ladies for help."

"Well… I think it was sweet of her to have made much of the preparations in advance, wasn't it, ma'am?" Kai replied thoughtfully.

Elsa grinned, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders as she felt a rising pride in having such a spritely yet witty sister. "Yes, it was." She eyed the salad plates that threatened to topple over the man and giggled. "Do you want help with that?"

"N-no thanks your highness!" Kai grinned as he made his steady advance. "It's a shame to have those beautiful sleeves of yours wrinkled by piles of dining utensils!"

Elsa smiled, calling after a running servant boy. "Young man, please help this kind sir with taking these plates to the dining area."

The servant boy stuttered to a halt and bowed obediently at the queen. "Aye, your majesty!"

Kai laughed quietly as the servant boy took half of the pile in his arms and advanced towards the round tables scattered neatly around the dance hall. He nodded gratefully to the queen as he left to attend to his duties, smiling to himself at how blessed the kingdom was to have such a considerate and beautiful young ruler.

_Her father would have been proud._

Elsa scanned the spacious room again, brows bunched together as she flicked her wrists to eliminate the cacophony of dull colors with wintry hues at the ceilings. Elsa had a meticulous eye for detail, and though she admitted to herself that preparations were nothing sort of rushed, she made sure that every nook and cranny of the room was a beautiful sight to the watchful eye.

A little later, a series of questions were flung at her by overly excited servants. She straightened herself as she listened to their inquiries one by one.

"Your majesty, I've got good news! The new set of draperies from the west had just arrived this morning!"

"We could use the drapes at once to fit the theme of tonight's ball!"

"They come in various shades of blue, your highness."

"Should we put down the maroons and go with the periwinkles?"

"The three layer cake is on its way, milady!"

"Is it alright if a few snowflake embellishments might grace the frosting at the sides?"

"Would you like a taste-test, your majesty? Or should your personal baker do it for you?"

"Your highness, I suggest we replace the velveteen carpets with new ones. They are rather dusty!"

"May we request for more dollops of frost by the lampstands, milady?"

Elsa gave her nods and disagreements here and there. To her it almost seemed like a blur… and yet so far, the flow had never lost its limbo.

Elsa surveyed the hum of activity within the ballroom, giving off gentle yet firm commands and clever suggestions on everything needed for the party. Those in charge with food, invitations, decorations, and security were quick to respond to her every beck and call, rushing from here to there to re-echo the queen's commands to the servants beneath them. In wee hours, the preparations were gradually coming to a close, looking as if the whole kingdom had prepared for the party all week instead of just a single day.

At exactly three hours, a menu had been laid out and finalized, ranging from a variety of dishes including delicious pork ribs glazed in warm honey and fat turkeys freshly roasted over a big morning fire. Pinnekjott, or dried mutton ribs with a fancy side dish of mashed potatoes, swedes and gravy were also laid out, being the duke of Strabald's personal favorite delicacy, and some servings of hams of different shapes and sizes prepared in trays of royal stainless steel. Pepperkakers, a kind of gingerbread or hard spicy biscuit (which was a traditional serving for the people of Arendelle during Christmas), were also served. There were Danishes, some chocolate mousse, bowls of vegetable and fruit salads and trays and trays of tarts were grouped together on a separate area. And there was stew, always stew, on a winter ball (which Elsa forgot the name of). All of these were neatly placed on a long mahogany table from one side of the ball room, adjacent to the miniature stage where the musicians were situated.

Large punch bowls of julebrus (which was a red type of soda) were also prepared, and some bottles of three hundred year old wines were displayed in neat order beside a pyramid of crystal glasses. At the center of the ballroom stood a five foot cake covered in white frosting on top of a round table draped in blues and greens. It was rimmed by fist-sized cupcakes, with vanilla frosting in the shape of snowflakes. It had become the room's piece de resistance, with the workers involved in the culinary preparations clapping with pride at the finished work they had made.

After Anna left to meet with their visitors from Corona, Elsa took over in assisting those in charge of the interior with the decorations. Before her accident with Anna, they had been a recipient of the duchess' visits every winter, when she had been about sixteen years old. Elsa remembered that the woman loved the winter as much as she did, and the duchess' visits to the kingdom had always been a prize to the sisters. So the queen decided that the whole castle be customized into a winter wonderland in honor of the duchess, zapping streams of blue and white snowflakes here and there while helping in choosing the color of draperies to be used for the windows. A coating of frost swirling in floral designs covered the beams and walls of the area, but the queen made sure that the snow was not cold enough to set the castle a couple of degrees cooler.

The other guests who were present that day also helped in the preparations by being the queen's noble heralds, ushering the incoming dignitaries towards the guest rooms prepared earlier, which became more than a resting place for the awestruck visitors. Each room was a sight to see, with ice figurines greeting them as soon as they set foot in them, and a talking snowman providing entertainment.

Every turret of the castle was wrapped in vines made of ice and frost. The more the civilians of the town square gazed at it, the more they marveled at the queen's mysterious power.

When Elsa saw the crystalline streamers that decorated the ceilings, and the ice chandeliers that shone in an ethereal glow hanging high up in the ballroom ceiling in a neat line, that was the time when she had finally released a breath of relief.

Everything was coming together smoothly. And it was all thanks to her sister Anna.

"You did it your majesty!" the servants cheered. "Just in the nick of time."

Applause boomed all over the ballroom, startling the guests that had just arrived. They marveled at the workers' finished work, not knowing that the preparations had only taken them a few hours that morning.

The musicians eagerly began playing their instruments with jolly tunes. Those already present took the liberty to dance their hearts out, grabbing partners and dancing the reinlender which was the Duchess' favorite folkdance. Maids and butlers had taken their positions, waiting on the guests that would dine in. Everyone was giddy and excited. And the queen knew that everything had finally fallen in place.

For the first time that day, Elsa gave her staff her true smile. A smile that spoke triumph and pride that cloaked every fear and pressure she struggled to control that morning. At the same time, she felt sort of undeserving with the applause of her people. Though she had been the one to help and guide with the set up, it was Anna who took charge with the more difficult tasks of purchases and gathering manpower. It was Anna who did most of the work... and Elsa thought it shameful of her to be the recipient of all credits...

The dignitaries from Spain, Italy, and Germany were first to enter the grand ballroom. Kai stood beside them to present the guests to the queen.

"Your majesty, may I present their lordships, Sir Jaime De Vera, Sir Arturo Guidotti, and Sir Ewan Von Krumen."

Elsa bowed her greetings, hiding her frost covered hands behind her back as she straightened herself. She inwardly cursed herself for forgetting her gloves that morning. Though she already had perfect control of her powers, she had still yet to learn to control her nerves. The last time she had encountered these gentlemen was last summer when she caused that eternal winter. She always worried that she had left a very bad impression after that horrible incident... but the gentlemen had been more than forgiving with the queen's mistakes in the past. They respected her and valued her as any noble would value a queen. It was a reverence that Elsa thought she did not deserve. And it never ceased to make something flutter in her chest.

The three men politely took their leave to mingle with the other guests in the lounge. One by one, Kai presented the coming guests until a majestic parade of escorts made their scenic entrance into the castle's open gates. A chorus of trumpets announced the coming of the Duke and Duchess of Strabald, as a train of men in striking cobalt blue and green uniforms carrying verdant flags escorted them inside the castle.

The Duke and Duchess were welcomed by applauses and light snowfall, stepping out of an unnecessary carriage wearing coats of metalic blue and green trimmed with snow-white fur. Lord Falconer was first to grace the eyes with his presence, a tall and powerful man who's very aura spoke a reverend authority to anyone who crosses his path. He had dark chocolate hair and deep green eyes that were commanding and fierce, a smile that rarely exposed mischief, and a light stubble of a beard dusting his face. Though he had this presence that left every other man intimidated, the man had a heart that was pure as gold. Elsa believed that the man was the perfect match for the Duchess, and the ten years of marriage proved how strong their bond was that she dreamed of meeting a man who was like this one. Elsa chuckled to herself. If she knew better, it seemed like she was crushing on the Duchess' husband.

And then the Duchess came, a woman with long flowing hair and grey eyes. The Queen was more than excited to see the woman's usually cheery face, until Elsa saw that somethig drastic changed in her... Gone was the youthful vibrance once present in Lady Helena's eyes. Instead they looked downcast and tired... and grieving, like something precious had been taken away from her.

As soon as they entered the ballroom to meet with the queen after their grand entrance, Lord Falconer met with Elsa's eyes. It was a silent plea, a conversation Elsa understood as an explanation to everything. This man was seeking their help... _her _help. But she didn't know what kind. She wanted to ask so many questions about why the Duchess seemed so lifeless on a day that was meant for celebrating... but for now, Elsa had to play the gracious host, and pester the Duke with her questions on a more convenient time.

"Lord Walter Raleigh Falconer and Lady Helena of Strabald," Elsa smiled as she bowed. "Arendelle is more than blessed for you to give us this privilege of throwing a party in milady's honor."

"Oh please your highness, the honor is much truly ours." the Duke smiled back as he made his own bow. The Duchess smiled a beautiful smile and curtseyed, but Elsa knew that the happiness in her voice was mere pretense.

"I must say... What you've done with the place is nothing short of magnificent," the Duke said. He turned to his wife and held her arm that was neatly folded under his own. "What do you think, my love?"

The Duchess rewarded him with another fake smile, which Elsa observed to have slightly distressed the Duke. She squared her shoulders, making a mental note on speaking with the lady as soon as they were in private.

"I presume the long journey has tired you." Elsa said as she straightened het gait. "May I suggest that I lead you to our best guest chamber before the party officialy starts this eve?"

"Yes you may." the duchess approved rather too quickly. Elsa tried hard not to frown at this as she began her regal walk with the two nobles towards the guest's wing.

_What on earth could have happened to her?_

_..._

"PAPA!"

Snowflake meant to sprint towards her fallen father when Anna caught her by the waist and lifted her into her arms.

"Oh no no no, sweetie!" Anna smiled nervously as she carried the little girl away. "Uhm, uh, we're only playing a game! Uh... EUGENE!"

The ex-thief, who finally snapped from dumbstruck reverie, looked between the unconscious winter spirit and the girl in the princess' arms. He saw several things that were quite similar between them. They had the same thin lips and wedge of a nose, and the same pale skin, though the girl's complexion had seemed more alive. He still stood stuck in his place, contemplating about the possibilities and the relevances in astonished silence.

"Jack Frost." he said finally, the name feeling alien in his lips. He had to say it again to get used to it. "Jack Frost."

Rapunzel still held the steel pan in a battle stance, looking at the shocking whiteness of a man sprawled like a rag doll and out cold against the floor. She was in a state of unspoken panic, having seen a man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. For many years, Rapunzel had mastered being wary of every form of danger because of the lies her Mother Gothel told her. And seeing something that was out of the ordinary, which was in this case, the winter spirit, had definitely set her on edge. Only the cries of Snowflake had finally snapped her back to reality when she realized that this young man... this queer paleness of a man, was the girl's father.

Rapunzel dropped the pan. "Oh my stars..."

"You just hit Jack Frost." Eugene murmured, slowly and cautiously nearing towards Jack as he tried to process what was happening. "You just hit Jack Frost."

Rapunzel cupped her face with both hands as she eyed her victim, panic building up within her.

"Oh my gosh! Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh-"

"Punzie! C-calm down!" Eugene rushed to her side, though his feet still shook with seeing a winter spirit.

"B-but I just! Did I kill him? Is he still breathing? Tell me I didn't kill him!"

"No, you didn't kill him!" Eugene argued. "And stop fretting! It's not good for the baby!"

Suddenly Baby Tooth shot from the crook of Jack's neck in anger, attacking and pulling at Rapunzel's hair which Eugene had deftly shooed away. Of course the raging little fairy had begun to attack the ex-thief, using her pointed nose to poke at his skin with painful stabs.

"BABY TOOTH NO!" Snowflake yelled, unintentionally zapping the creature with her powers as she fell to the floor in a frozen lump. Snowflake began to cry at the sight.

"EUGENE!" Anna called again, grabbing Eugene's attention. The man knew Anna needed his help pronto as he saw the frost threatening to turn the room into a freezer. Snowfake repeatedly called for her father, trying to fight through Anna's hold to rush to Jack and to nurse the little fairy she had frozen into a mini-popsicle. Though still astonished with the reality of Jack Frost and a fairy-hummingbird hybrid, he shakily walked towards Snowflake and began coming up with ways to divert her attention. Of course the man had turned dumb enough to leave behind his panicked wife because of his own astonishment.

"Uh, hey! Snowflake don't worry uh... We were just playing... You're Papa's just playing!" He cooed nervously.

Snowflake looked up at Eugene with weepy eyes. "Why did Aunt Punzie hit Papa on the head?"

Rapunzel looked guiltily at the girl, opening and closing her mouth like a gaping fish, searching for words and excuses for her actions. She looked to Anna for help.

"Because it was a game, sweetie!" Anna chuckled nervously. "Isn't that right Rapunzel?!"

Anna and Eugene looked to Rapunzel with wide pleading eyes. Rapunzel just stared back, nodding slowly.

"Uh... Yeah. Right. Just a game!" she laughed nervously.

Snowflake stayed silent for a few moments, rubbing her tear-stained cheeks and melting the frost all around her. As soon as Baby Tooth thawed, she shivered violently against the floor, sneezing and coughing through and through. Snowflake fled from her aunt's arms as she rushed to Baby Tooth and cupped her in her hands then placed her inside the doily pocket of her silk dress. Anna sighed in relief, glad that that was settled quickly. Eugene and Rapunzel still looked shocked as ever, but she needed them apart for a little while for her plan to work.

"You forgive aunt Punzie now, kay?" Anna smiled.

"Okay... But no more hitting." Snowflake sniffed. She looked up at Rapunzel with pleading eyes. "Tell Papa you're sorry."

Rapunzel looked confused. Anna made a face that told her to just roll with it. She looked at the winter spirit's figure uncertainly, shrugging her shoulders and arching her brows.

"Uhm...sorry?"

Snowflake beamed, revealing her rows of pearly white teeth. The sight made her want to grin too, watching as she suddenly held unto Eugene's hand.

Eugene stared at the girl, a bit surprised at the sudden physical contact.

"Uncle Euge! Let's go and play outside!" she said.

Before the man could even process everything that happened, before he could even ask Anna what the heck was going on, before he could even scold his wife for hitting a once mythical character with a cooking pan, before he could nurse his wounds from the fairy's attack, the snow child began pulling on his sleeve and dragging him outside the kitchen towards the halls...

"Have fun!" Anna called out in a high pitched voice as she waved her hand at a still flabbergasted Eugene.

"I never knew he's real!" Rapunzel ranted when the two had left. "Anna what did I just do?! Ohnonono-"

Anna slapped Rapunzel on the cheek and held her by her shoulders. "Snap out of it woman!"

"Ow!"

"I need your help with something!" Anna said with firey determination. "And it involves getting Elsa to see Snowflake's Papa."

"Huh? What? Wha-HOLD UP!" Rapunzel said. "This guy is Snowflake's father?! I mean how did that happen? Did he do... With Elsa..."

"NOOO!" Anna interjected. "Ice powers, remember? Snowflake is so not your ordinary baby... Just calm down for a while... Deep breaths."

Rapunzel took four deep breaths as she let Anna's stories finally sink in in her tired, tired, tired brain. She grabbed a chair, eyeing the fallen Jack Frost and sagging her shoulders as she finally accepted the reality surrounding everything.

"So... Jack Frost huh?" she murmured. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Naw! He'll be fine!" Anna assured her.

Rapunzel eyed Jack again, then Anna. "How come... How come we couldn't see him before?"

"Well..." Anna shrugged. "He said that a person has to believe in him to see him. How did you believe?"

Rapunzel thought for a moment, "I just... I just believed in Eugene believing he saw someone..."

Anna nodded in understanding. "The things we do for love, huh?"

Rapunzel chuckled, releasing a breath as she straightened her shoulders. "Jack Frost...wow." She looked at Anna with a playful smirk. "So I take it Elsa doesn't know about him yet, huh?"

"Yeah." Anna grinned. "I thought they'd make a good match. With the ice powers and all..."

"Are you sure he's not dangerous?" Rapunzel suddenly asked with worry.

"Pee-shaw! Course he's not!"

"Well... What do you want me here for anyway?" Rapunzel asked uncertainly.

Anna grinned.

Eugene might be devious and cunning, but Rapunzel was a master of persuasion. It was her who gave recognition to the use of the saucepan in battle, and Anna never knew of any other princess who could tie a man to a chair in a few minutes and walk long distances barefoot. She was also rumored to have considerable neck strength as she was once told to have locks with a length of 70 meters which she dragged and dragged all around. Anna fought an evil smile coming on, confident that her plan was sure to be a success. Eugene would have to be Snowflake's distraction for now, since he had that charisma a bit similar to Jack's. Anna believed from their first meeting that the snow child would definitely be on good terms with him.

For now she needed Rapunzel. They both had a very important mission to accomplish.

"I know that everything seems a bit bizaare to you right now... but I'll be needing your help to get him together with Elsa."

...

A/N: Before you guys sentence me to my death (though I really hope you guys wouldn't) I had split this chapter into various parts which means the Who's The Father Arc is still yet to be completed. There is a part four... And I promise you part four is the last part of the arc, (even I am getting impatient). But I'm too...erm... determined to make the scenes play out perfectly, and I'm a sadist when it comes to cliffhangers *RUN AWAY*

Pleaaaase! Pleaaase forgive me! TT_TT to make up for it, expect a longer, MORE MAGICAL chapter this week (moat likely Thursday). This is one of my most suck-ish chapters, because, as I said, it's beginning to transcend towards an event I've been aching to write for ages! *ugh* And there's not much humor... And stuff... Please.. Don't hate me! *cowers in a corner* we writers have off days too TT_TT

I swear, I hope I'm not giving too much away.

Also to answer a lovely reader's question: yes, I have a wattpad account under the same username... Buuut... I don't plan on posting a story yet, because wattpad is too... Sparkly for me *sparkle*

Thank you for your support guys! And my update schedule returns to one-two chapters weekly! *wink*

To QueenOfMusicLea, thank yoh for the encouraging PM!

To Story Hunter who drew another wonderful drawing of this fic which I will show to everyone someday! Thank you and you rock! XD

And to anime fans out there WATCH NORAGAMI AND PLEASE RECOMMEND A FREAKING GOOD YATORI FIC PLEASE! *_* hahahaha

*SPOILER* The next chapter involves fluffy humor and some believers here and there. And perhaps... an all famous scene from one of our fave Disney films _

P.S. Constructice criticism always welcome. And keep flames to mild first degree burns *wink*


	9. Chapter 8: Who's the Father? (Part IV)

**Disclaimer: If I owned ROTG and Frozen, this fan fiction would have been a movie already.**

**Chapter 8: Who's the Father? (Part Four)**

All Jack saw was darkness. It was an oddly horrifying yet nostalgic feeling.

He was falling… _falling_…

_Falling..._

He felt the cold seep through his skin and reach his bones. It crawled all over his clothes, his limbs, his fingers, his toes... it devoured every fiber of his being, consuming every hair of his body with an icy sensation. And all he saw was darkness... and he was scared.

He thrashed; he choked on cold, icy water, but all he felt was a frightening numbness; of not feeling _anything. _As soon as the cold pierced through his chest, Jack knew it was all over.

His heart was frozen... forever. He knew, he would not feel anything anymore. Nothing but a sense of loss... of pain... of isolation...

Of being dead.

It was indescribable. It wouldn't go away.

And then he felt himself floating upward. It was an all too familiar feeling. The light of the moon was before him; the cold and darkness behind him. It was like the day he had been reawakened...

And then suddenly there was a wet something poking at his earhole.

"GAH!"

Jack jerked his head to the side, disgusted and surprised that a... frog? Chameleon? Whatever it was, just stuck its long and squishy tongue in his ear. Suddenly he found himself tied to a chair, his hands cuffed by rough and thick ropes to the arm rests, and his lower limbs to the chair's legs. He squirmed, he tried to move, but couldn't. The ropes around his stomach were wrapped too tight. He fought the idea of panicking, knowing it would be uncool for Jack Frost to do so. And he wanted to know who was responsible for his shameful demise.

When he saw two princesses, one with braided strawberry blonde hair, and one with short brown locks holding a suspicious looking saucepan, standing before him with devious looks on their faces… that was when it finally hit him.

"Had a nice sleep, Jack?" Anna asked him.

"Anna!" Jack hissed, shooting accusing glares at her. "What the hell?!"

Jack tried to wriggle himself out again, but to no avail. He tried to kick himself free of the ropes, arching his neck from left to right and bucking his hips left, right and forward in order to break free from his captivity.

"What-? Where's Snowflake? Why did you tie me to a chair?!"

"You can struggle all you want, but there's no getting out of this..." Rapunzel threatened, pointing the pan towards his face. "_Jack Frost._"

Pascal jumped towards the base of the pan and looked at the guardian with a creepy smile.

"Get me out of here!" he yelled, surprising the little green creature. Anna just tsk-ed and shook her head from side to side.

"No can do, Jackie. I'm not letting you leave this time." Anna smirked proudly.

"I need to leave, _ASAP!" _Jack said through gritted teeth. "And why the heck did you tie me to a chair?!"

Anna stepped back on her heel and raised a brow at him. "It's a precautionary measure, just in case you'd run off like yesterday."

"Is this really necessary?!" Jack complained, trying to gesture towards himself with his bound arms. "You know I can't really go anywhere without my staff!"

Jack's eyes widened when he realized what he had just said. He never told Anna about the necessity of the staff as a conductor to his powers. In fact, he never even told her that he needed it to fly. Anna noticed this, a grin sketching her face that could rival a Cheshire cat's.

"No I didn't, Jackie," she smiled. "But now that I _do_ know, you won't be seeing your precious stick for a little while until you do what I tell you to."

"Get me out of here!" Jack groaned. "I really, really have to go! You've got to understand!"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Anna asked him incredulously, placing her hands on her hips. "It's not like we're gonna keep you here forever or anything!"

"Uhm... Anna, are you really sure we should still be doing this?" Rapunzel asked her uncertainly, eyeing the winter spirit cautiously with a firm grip on the pan she held. "It looks like his appointment seems pretty important."

"Oh come on, Punzie. Nothing's more important than spending time with your kid," Anna rolled her eyes. "He didn't even give us a chance to get to know him better."

"We could be accused of committing illegal detention, Anna." Rapunzel whispered worriedly.

"No worries! Only you, Eugene, and I can see him. So no biggie!" Anna laughed off. Rapunzel stared at her, horrified that the spritely princess was taking the sitiation way too lightly...

Earlier, Anna had explained to her the need for romance in Elsa's rather 'dull' life, as her sister put it. Meeting this unlikely being, who was the epitome of winter itself, inspired Anna to set her sister up with him, and Snowflake deemed the perfect catalyst to her rather unrealistic plan. Rapunzel shook her head with worry, trying to remember how Anna managed to convince her to do something so crazy. Well, she had done some rather crazy things when she was eighteen but... she was young and immature back then.

She pulled Anna by the wrist and turned their backs on Jack who continued writhing in his chair.

"Why are we getting him together with Elsa again?" Rapunzel asked, trying to sound less skeptic.

"Because I think they're meant for each other, duh!" Anna said, waving her off.

"But you only met him _yesterday!_" Rapunzel scolded her through gritted teeth. "Look where it got you with that Hans guy!"

Anna looked appalled. "That was different, Punzie! This time, it's definitely true love."

Rapunzel groaned. In her mind, she decided that the princess of Arendelle was both crazy, and a hopeless romantic. "Really Anna, you're unbelievable! I thought we were doing this for Snowflake's sake."

"We are!" Anna argued. "Let's just do this."

Jack looked around him, trying to find sight of his trusted weapon, then snapped his head at Anna with a menacing glower.

"Where is my staff?" he asked.

"I've hidden it somewhere. You'll never find it!" Anna crossed her arms smugly. "But if you do us a favor, then we'll give it back pronto."

Jack raised a brow at both women, gazing all around the dim kitchen until his eyes came upon a tall broom cabinet beside a pantry.

"Lemme guess..." he murmured, "It's in that cabinet beside the pantry isn't it?"

Both princesses froze. Jack grinned proudly at himself for his wild guess. Now that a sense of satisfaction washed over him, he was able to think more clearly with the situation at hand. He could just simply freeze the ropes into ice and break free from it, steal back the staff and fly away. He was already wasting precious time... time meant for chasing an urgent call from the guardians... time meant to be spent for three more rounds of playing with his daughter... time stolen from him because a brunette princess apparently whacked him on the head with a saucepan.

He wished he could have properly said goodbye to her. But an emergency was an emergency.

"Punzie,"

Anna gave Rapunzel a look which kind of made the winter spirit feel alarmed. His fears were confirmed when the brunette smiled deviously.

"You know the drill," Anna grinned wickedly.

And then Jack Frost returned to that blank splotch of darkness once his white head met with a metal whack on the head.

...

Eugene was still awestruck. But he did well with pretending he wasn't.

He continued to watch the snow child who insisted he play dollies with her. She had Elsa's powers, conjuring mini snowmen who danced and sang in circles all around them. They were inside one of the guest rooms, playing, chatting, and doing just about anything to pass the time. Eugene was amazed at how quickly Snowflake forgot about the pan incident and watched as she put a little dress made of ice on a still shivering Baby Tooth, who was seated on a glass table and shooting deadly glares at him.

Snowflake frowned, carefully cupping her hands around the fairy's small figure. "Aww... All I can do is keep Baby Tooth cold."

"So... This is the Tooth Fairy?" Eugene asked, trying to fight off the squeak in his voice. He sat cross-legged beside Snowflake on the carpets, his cloak wrapped tightly around him.

"Uh-huh," Snowflake confirmed. She timidly scooped the fairy up in her hands and brought her near the room's fireplace. The little fairy sighed contentedly as she snuggled into the fluffy carpet situated in front of the comforting fire and slowly gave in to her sleepiness.

"I didn't think she'd be this... cute," Eugene smiled, watching Baby Tooth sneeze three times in succession. He reached for Snowflake and casually ruffled her hair, then made his way to a nearby chair. He dropped himself unceremoniously on the velvety cushions, letting out a long, exhausted sigh as he propped his neck against the support. Looking up at the ceiling, he tried to fight a stream of curses that threatened to pool out of his mouth from the sheer stress over the events that happened that morning.

All he expected was a short and simple visit to Arendelle's royal sisters. Maybe some glaring and silent nagging from Elsa about family planning, and some squeals of excitement from an eager-aunt-to-be Anna upon the news of their baby coming. Perhaps they'd stay a couple of days, explore the beauty of winter in Arendelle (though Eugene kind of found the thought unappealing, as he clearly hated the winter season after meeting Elsa), and then sail merrily back to Corona and continue to live happily ever after. But then, upon traveling through Anna's suspicious secret entrance through the castle to meet this apparently-Elsa's-daughter-made-from-her-and-a-mythical-spirit's-magic and then suddenly meeting that said spirit in person (not to mention having seen his wife knock him out with a pan) made him realize that expectations often lead to disappointing and stressful outcomes.

He sighed again. More than twenty five years of living in this world and he already felt like an old man... It was days like these that Eugene missed Rapunzel's long blonde hair. Surely its magical properties would have given him the youthful vigor to face all these things...

But of course, had Flynn Rider not cut her hair, no one would know who Eugene Fitzherbert was... and he would never have lived to be with his new dream. He grinned as he thought of his wife, his life, his dream... she wasn't a dream to him anymore. She was his new reality, replacing the life of a vagabond thief always on the run. After all those years of living in the darkness, of having to struggle for what he wanted, of having been robbed of the opportunity of the comforts of a home and a family, of robbing others for the sake of fulfilling a farfetched dream of material wealth and security, he met a princess locked in a tower, went to a lantern show, and fell in love. All those years living in the dark, in her he finally saw the light. Flynn Rider surrendered his old dream to the criminal that was meant to be executed... and embraced a life that belonged to her, Rapunzel, his new dream. Now, Eugene Fitzherbert was living Flynn's new dream. Rapunzel became Eugene's reality.

And right now, they were beginning to live a brand new dream-a family. It was more than everything Flynn Rider ever dreamed of in his life.

Eugene Fitzherbert was one lucky bastard.

Suddenly, his thoughts of Rapunzel were mixed with images of Anna and the winter spirit who still lay unconscious on one of the servant room's kitchen floor. His body froze, feeling the full weight of the day's events yet again.

"I wonder what those girls are doing to him…" Eugene murmured to himself. He knew for a fact that Anna was probably up to no good and that she somehow might have managed to drag his lovely wife into her schemes. He clapped a hand to his forehead and groaned, leaning against the soft red cushions of the gilded chair and wanted nothing else than to get back to that small kitchen and drag Rapunzel out of there. Since the Great Thaw, Eugene decided that Arendelle was one of the craziest, most stressful places to be in, and thought that coming to visit the stingy Ice Queen would always be a bad idea. Now that another bizarre winter-themed phenomenon has made itself known to him and Rapunzel in the form of a spirit and a snow child, he wasn't so sure if he wanted anything more to do with the Arendelle sisters, let alone Norway itself.

"It's definitely not good for the baby," Eugene sighed to himself.

"What baby?" Snowflake asked, fluidly making her way to Eugene then pushing herself up to sit on his lap.

Eugene circled an arm around her waist and smiled. He wouldn't be the one to explain to the kid about babies, no sir-ee. He'll leave that to the girls instead. "It's nothing."

"Oh..." Snowflake answered, clearly unsatisfied. But she was too bored to pry, and what she wanted to do was have fun. If only her Uncle Eugene was up for it.

"Why can't I see Papa now?" she asked him, batting her long lashes at him innocently.

"I told you, they're still playing that game." Eugene answered her, eyes on the ceiling. He tried not to sound exasperated, but he failed.

"Doesn't that game kinda hurt?" she pressed on, tapping her left cheek with her finger. She looked at Eugene with mild persuasion. "I wanna go flying with Papa now."

"You can't. They're still on for round two," he replied blankly.

"But I played with him first," Snowflake pouted, crossing her arms. "'s no fair..."

Eugene cocked his head to the side and smiled. He enjoyed Snowflake's childish pouty expressions, and at the same time adored how the girl remained impressively calm in spite of her disappointment. If his and Rapunzel's baby would be a girl, he wished that she'd turn out to be just like her.

It was strange how in the small minutes he spent with the girl, he suddenly felt at ease. Growing up in an orphanage gave him zero ideas of how fathers should act towards their children... so Eugene certainly had no idea how he should be treating the child. But Snowflake was special in a way. Not only because she was the fruit of two winter magics, no... Eugene knew it was definitely something else. It was like the child herself, in spite of her innocent, youthful nature, was teaching him... guiding him on how he should act as a Daddy... Eugene couldn't explain how he had come to those conclusions, but that was just how he felt around the child.

It was in her smiles, in her laughs, in her eyes, in the way she walked and talked... putting on a childish facade and yet quietly reflecting an ancient wisdom that was painfully hid from the world. Eugene just somehow knew, not only because he used to be a thief who possessed the skill to discern the offsets of the norm. He just knew... She was... _beyond magical._

Weird.

"Tell you what," Eugene began, straightening up from his seat while maintaining his hold on Snowflake. "How about we play another game?"

Snowflake's eyes twinkled at the sound of playing another game and giggled, attempting to tease him. "But Uncle Eugene's games are boring!"

Eugene made a fake sobbing sound, striking his heart with a clenched fist. "Oh Snowie, you hurt my manly manliness! No one gets away with hurting the great Flynn Rider!"

"Uncle Euge isn't hurt! Liar, liar, bum on fire!" Snowflake accused with a grin.

"Well then, let's see how you handle the tickle trial!"

Eugene made an attempt to tickle her senseless, but the child was quick on her feet. Snowflake laughed, jumping off of him as she sprinted towards the door. "Catch me!"

After giving the girl a head start, Eugene followed her, faking a hurried speed as he laughed along with her in their grand little chase. As Snowflake ran, he took notice of the frost building up behind her, leaving slippery tracks for him. He jumped over an ice puddle and let out a breath of relief. Had he slipped on ice, he would have destroyed the beautiful ice figurines surrounding the walls of the room.

"Hey! No fair!" He yelled out, though he was grinning.

"Uncle Euge is a slowpoke!" Snowflake giggled as she twirled in place. Eugene grinned playfully at her as he made a heroic dash towards her, avoiding the puddles of ice Snowflake left for him.

The girl giddily clapped upon seeing her Uncle Euge in action, watching him slide and jump and sprint like an acrobat towards her. Realizing that he was about to catch her soon, she squealed excitedly and ran a different direction, narrowly missing Eugene's long, large arms.

"Oh! She got away!" Eugene mock panicked.

"Catch me if you can!" Snowflake encouraged him as she sprinted to a farther place.

They left the guest room and hurried across the halls. They were headed towards the more crowded parts of the castle. Snowflake was a pretty skilled runner and hider, as she quickly disappeared from Eugene's line of vision when some throngs of people passed by them. They looked at his panting form with raised brows and hushed murmurs amongst themselves. Some lords and ladies in suits and ball gowns which looked more expensive than his simple royal suit (which he already found quite extravagant for his tastes) eyed him speculatively from top to bottom, perhaps questioning why such a man would run around the castle like a mischievous youth. A few of them instantly recognized him as Rapunzel's husband just by looking at the sun emblem on the sash of his suit, bowing curtseys while they passed. He awkwardly returned their silent greetings, slowing his pace as he scanned the room for traces of a girl with silvery blonde hair.

As he stood there, eyeing the halls decorated with winter-themed wallpapers, armory, paintings, curtains, and people decked out in coats, suits, and dresses of red, blue, black, and green, Eugene stopped… He stood there, feeling a wee bit out of place. On the outside, he looked like a prince, but judging from the recognizing gazes of the people around him, they knew the thief buried deep inside that man dressed in royal garbs.

It was all just in Eugene's head, but still… he just didn't want to be there.

And there was also this issue about Snowflake who had Elsa's powers… perhaps even Jack Frost's. Not everyone knew about that yet.

Eugene let out a gulp. He didn't know up to what kind of exposure the snowchild had already... but of course, to find him wandering around the castle with a child with snow powers would clearly unnerve anyone. Anna did mention that the earlier guests who stayed after the autumn ball already met the kid, and that they still seemed freaked out over her identity as Elsa's daughter, but...

Well, no matter. He wasn't ready to face the crowd anyway. In spite of the many years of being Rapunzel's personal chevalier, lover, and friend, he never got used to a roomful of obnoxious royalties. He only felt confident about himself amongst them when paired with Rapunzel, because he felt pretty confident whenever she was around... but his tainted history never really helped much with facing them alone. He was not used to the upper-class society and their piercing, sometimes snobby, gazes. He found the classy folk intimidating, in fact. As Flynn Rider, he was a very daring and couragious man...

But being a daring, couragious man as Eugene Fitzherbert still took him time getting used to. A helluva lot of time.

He stopped in his tracks and soon, to his surprise, the snow girl appeared by his side. She looked at the tall man curiously, tugging at the sleeve of his suit as she peered up at him. Eugene flinched a bit, then quickly examined her tracks if there was snow or frost anywhere. Thanking the heavens that everything in the castle was themed winter, he let out a breath of relief, seeing that no one noticed the traces of ice that sparkled against the brilliant dark blue carpets.

"Wanna go back to the guest rooms, Snowflake?" he asked, holding out a hand as if to invite her to come back.

Snowflake tilted her head, confused. "What? But Uncle Eugene hasn't caught me yet. In fact, it was Snowflake that caught Uncle Euge…"

Eugene shrugged, revving up an excuse to avoid the ballroom. Suddenly inspiration struck him, reminding him why the heck he had been there in the first place. He considered it his revenge against the cruel fate of being in Arendelle, where all the crazy, aside from his days as a thief and some Vikings randomly singing here and there, took place in his life. Perhaps he would take this as his own version of whacking someone with a pan on the head, though less violent.

It involved someone he was rather pissed at for having him and his lovely, pregnant wife chilling in Norway instead of snuggling up in a fire in the comfortable sanctuary of their chambers in Corona. His lips curled up into a devious smile, earning him a curious glance from Snowflake... Oh yes, he was going to get revenge on that ice chick right now. And Eugene knew just what he had to do.

"I have a better game actually… and it kind of involves your mother."

...

Moments after their arrival, Elsa's most special guests settled themselves into one of the castle's best rooms. It was a magnificent setting, the walls a welcoming blue and white, swirling into marble-like patterns. The crystal glass windows were framed by dark, royal blue drapes, contrasting the lightness of the room. There were a couple of ice figurines positioned at the corners of the room, all of which were statues of angels gazing to the ceiling. A chandelier made of ice, cradling candles that gave it a somewhat ethereal golden glow hovered above a sofa set of red gilded chairs and soft red cushions, surrounding a clear table made of ice.

Lady Helena of Strabald, formerly a duchess of Arendelle, sighed resignedly as she fluidly sat against the couch of their rather glamorous room. Normally she would fancy rooms inspired by themes of blue, green and white... but then, by looking at her somewhat distant expressions, Elsa guessed she was nowhere near being in a festive mood.

It still bothered the queen, how someone she knew to be so radiant and full of vigor could be this melancholic on her birthday. She wanted to know so badly, wishing she could help ease her burden. A look at the Duke confirmed her suspicion that he was struggling to ease that same burden himself. But for the sake of courtesy, they pushed these feelings all behind them for the moment, and did what hosts and guests did for the time being. They talked, caught up with matters relating to the state, talked about news and gossip and what not, sipped some hot tea and ate some Pepperkakers. Mostly, it was Lord Falconer and Elsa that talked, while the duchess merely listened and offered polite smiles. No matter how awkward, Elsa proved to be a very accomodating host, and the duke, for his wife's sake, served as the spokesman for both of them.

"How are things faring in the Strabald's regions, milord?" she asked politely from her chair.

"All is well my queen." the duke smiled. "In fact we plan on welcoming the modernization introduced by the west. Apparently kingdoms like ours are but smudges of memory in the modern world."

"Ah, science..." Elsa grinned wryly. "Who knew it would one day take over the glories of medieval times. To think that they treat us as fairy tales they tell their kids in bed."

The duke chuckled, agreeing with her. "Well now. I believe it's better than having people with unique gifts as yourself examined on Frankenstein's table. The union would certainly not want that happening to their most respectable ally."

Elsa grinned, "Well, perhaps science might explain how I've become the winter freak of nature. There are just forces that can't be explained by magic at all."

"Nor can science." the duke answered her quickly. "We both know that science is as limited as man who introduced it. All of us like giving explanations to things we cannot understand. I guess, science and magic only proves that we humans are hopelessy limited by ourselves..."

Elsa found herself agreeing with the man, admiring how deeply the duke valued his philosophies, and yet at the same time acknowledged that philosophies were often futile. She always thought that men rarely thought like that anymore, and found herself mildly envying the duchess for finding such a man at a young age. A small blush dusted the queen's cheeks as she giggled, feeling stupid and a little bit like Anna as she quietly hoped to meet a man similar to the duke's persona.

Keeping a calm face, Elsa turned to the duke and asked her question.

"Do you have any younger brothers, dear duke?" she smiled, albeit a little too sweetly.

The duke blinked, then chuckled softly at the queen's hopeful face. He stared at the young woman's eyes, recognizing full well that spark of mild admiration he often found in the young women he encountered. Elsa blushed, realizing that the duke certainly knew the effect he had on women. She certainly didn't mean to sound like she was flirting, nor did she mean that she wanted to check his brothers out, should he have any.

Elsa bowed apologetically, her blush still evident across her face. She only hoped that Lady Helena wouldn't think differently of her with the way she acted around her husband.

"As a matter of fact I do. He's about the same age as you, actually." Lord Falconer answered her with a twinkle in his eye. "He's three times the charmer I am, and he'll be arriving soon, I hope. You'll find him to be a very interesting young man."

At the talk of implied match making, the duchess' mood suddenly lightened up, if only a little bit. She graced Elsa a warmer smile and finally joined in on the conversation.

"I believe you and Radcliffe would make a good match." the duchess smiled, surprising Elsa and her husband a bit. A genuine grin made itself evident in the duke's face, happy that his wife was finally growing a little bit at ease.

"Oh, but my lady... I didn't mean..." Elsa stuttered bashfully.

The duchess giggled softly then squared her shoulders. "Young Radcliffe is as much as a workaholic as you when it comes to serving kingdoms. I guess its time the both of you start loosening up by getting to know each other as kindred spirits."

"I always fear that my brother will die a virgin," the duke agreed with a humorous smile. "Ah, the days when my father would pester him about making him some grandchildren."

Elsa chuckled, pressing her fingers to her lips to muffle the sound. "Why? Is he not content with your little Agatha?"

At the mention of the name Agatha, the duchess features suddenly returned to its blank, emotionless state... no, it looked worse. Her grey eyes turned dull and lifeless, devoid not only of emotions but of a soul. She turned her head away, wearing a smile that seemed more enigmatic than Mona Lisa's... but the rest of her features; how her hands clenched against the silk of her metalic green gown and how the corners of her mouth quivered slightly; that's how Elsa knew that it was an expression of suppressed grief. It was an expression that she herself used to wear.

Turning to the duke, she saw that his eyes were focused upon the round carpet at the center of the room. He had a mournful face on, and Elsa guessed that something had happened to Agatha, the duke and duchess' little girl.

"She... she passed away... just before the start of Fall." the duke answered her. "I'm sorry... I thought you recieved our letter informing you of her death... Now we understand why you were not present during her funeral."

Elsa was shocked, clapping a hand to her mouth. No wonder their adorable seven year old was nowhere in sight. She had never spent much time with the girl... but it was sad to learn of her short-lived life. No wonder the duchess was not in high spirits.

"I"m... I'm sorry... I never knew... I..."

The duchess turned to Elsa and smiled a forgiving smile. "Its alright Elsa... my husband and I... we already knew that her time with us would be short. It was a complication with her heart..."

Lord Falconer reached from across his chair to grasp his wife's hand and squeezed it lighty. Lady Helena smiled at him before turning back to Elsa. "I just... I just wished... she lived long enough to see winter... she always wanted to visit Arendelle when winter would come... but..."

She trailed off, gazing towards the window pane with glazed eyes. Elsa just watched her and felt her sorrow, remembering the same pain she felt when she couldn't even kiss her parents goodbye before they plunged to their deaths... she understood what Lady Helena's grief felt like, because she had endured enough grief of her own.

"Everything's gonna be alright..." the duke murmured.

When Elsa continued to watch the pair, she knew in her heart that the duchess did not believe her husband's words.

Rising from her seat, she bowed apologetically and politely excused herself from the room. The duchess requested that she be left alone for a couple of minutes. A little later, the duke followed his beloved.

...

Jack woke up to another disgusting wet-willy from Pascal.

"GAH!"

The familiar image of his right-now-two-of-his-least-favorite girls brought his senses to high alert. He scanned the room again for his staff, a gesture that Rapunzel did not miss with her speculative eyes.

"Now it's hidden where you'll never find it!" Rapunzel smirked triumphantly.

Jack blinked. He looked curiously at the princess' glaring green eyes and at the pan before him, a shudder running down his spine. He didn't like what was happening, and he greatly feared for the wrath of Nicholas St. North on being late for a distress call.

"You know..." he said, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "I could just freeze myself out of these binds."

"Yeah, but you couldn't without your staff!" Anna said smugly, crossing her arms.

Jack continued smirking, confident that he'd win this time. "It doesn't mean I can't do a few little ice tricks bare handed."

Rapunzel narrowed her gaze, then pointed the pan a little bit closer at his nose. "Then I'll use _this_…"

At the sight of the deadly saucepan, the winter spirit visibly gulped. Anna and Rapunzel did a high five. He groaned.

Jack never felt more humiliated in all his life. A winter spirit, held captive by two girls with only a couple of ropes and an annoyingly painful saucepan.

"What do you want from me?" Jack asked them, sighing in defeat. He decided he just better get what they wanted over and done with.

Rapunzel looked to Anna, urging her to tell him her demands. Anna straightened herself, looking down upon Jack in an attempt to intimidate him.

"Everyone in this room believes that you are Snowflake's father, correct?" Anna began. Jack rolled his eyes. _Way to state the obvious._

Anna continued. "And it has come to my knowledge that Snowflake is obviously upset that her Mama can't see you, judging by the events that took place yesterday. So, because I am concerned for Snowflake's well-being, as well as the safety of Arendelle from the possible instability of her powers, I _demand_ that you make Elsa see you, for the sake of my little niece's happiness, and the protection of Arendelle."

Jack surprised the both of them when he visibly scoffed. "Is this your desperate attempt at setting me up with your sister? Because I'm not buying it, really."

Anna rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. "Oh come on Jackie, you and I both know that you find my sister attractive. I saw it in your eyes! You were obviously admiring her when you saw her!"

Jack gaped at her, a purplish tint dusting the pale skin of his cheeks. Anna thought it was his blush.

"And from what planet are you exactly?!" he asked incredulously.

Rapunzel almost wanted to laugh. That was the first question she asked herself when she first met the bubbly princess. She totally understood what Jack felt.

"And stop calling me Jackie…" Jack hissed. "You're making my name sound so girly."

"Look, I'm not asking you to hook up with her," Anna said, bending forward so she could stare at him straight in the eye. "I just want her to _see _you, okay? Is that such a problem?"

_Yes!" _Jack said desperately with wide pleading eyes. "Because I'm _not supposed to be seen! _I'm supposed to be a myth, okay? A story! A fairy tale! You just made me break an all-important rule three times!"

Jack tried to hold back a humorless laugh at his words. Years and years of wanting to be seen, and never did he expect that he'd ask to be invisible for once in his life…

"And what is that all-important rule, hm?" Anna questioned him, still not convinced. "I'm not buying it."

"Only children are allowed to see me." Jack admitted, hoping that his desperate attempt at leaving would finally work. "I'm not just a spirit of winter, okay? My job is to watch over children… protect them… make them believe in me so that I could guide them and safeguard the fun that childhood's all about! Having three adults see me is already a compromise in doing my job and I'm-" this time Jack started struggling with his binds, "-already late for an important distress call! I have to get to the other guardians fast! Now GET ME OUT!"

Anna stepped back, slightly frightened at Jack Frost's suddenly menacing gaze. Jack realized quickly that some frost had begun to coat the edges of the ropes, but it wasn't enough to get him out. Rapunzel was smart enough to use thick, durable ropes, leaving Jack sort of helpless.

He also tried to calm himself down as soon as he saw the princesses' terrified expressions. Rapunzel pointed the pan at him shakily, and Anna was also groping for another pan behind her. Pascal skittered across the tables and hid inside a turned-over basin. He hadn't felt so angry since Pitch's attack but he had every reason to, because he was missing the guardian's emergency meeting. Remembering Pitch Black, he wondered if he could be the reason why they called. He clenched his fists, his eyes turning back to that fierce blue resolve as he glared at the girls who held him captive.

"Get me out, or else…" Jack said, attempting to make an empty yet convincing threat.

"Anna…" Rapunzel whispered. "I think he really needs to leave… I think he's serious."

Anna bit her lip. She believed Jack Frost, she did…. But she wasn't keen on letting him go. By the context of his words, there were other 'guardians' and she guessed that they could do just fine without him. She knew it was a lame excuse for her to keep him here, but she just needed him to stay. She was desperate. She didn't even know why she wanted Elsa to see him so badly. It wasn't just because she wanted Elsa to fall in love fast or anything… It was just, she had this insatiable desire to see them together, like a virus that was consuming her all over. She felt that kind of magnetism ever since she laid eyes on Jack Frost the previous day, strongly believing that he was the one for her sister Elsa…

Under normal circumstances, she would not do something like this. Or… maybe she would, as she had done similar sorts of things to Elsa's past suitors, but not to this extent. She would not hook her sister up with a man she just met! Boy… she was the first victim to that mistake! But Jack Frost was not just a man… he was the embodiment of winter itself! The perfect match for the Snow Queen…

Okay, Anna knew she was being too idealistic. And irrational. And immature. And stubborn. And selfish. But… she can't. Let. Him. Go.

And should Jack Frost turn out to be just like Hans, she'd just whack the guy with a pan and beat him mercilessly into the depths of hell.

"What's more important…"Anna asked quietly, trying to swallow the tremble in her voice. "Your job… or your daughter?"

Jack stared at her. He was beyond annoyed. He had every power to blast his way out of the binds if he wanted, but he still had half a mind to control his rage because he didn't want to hurt women… and of course, he was quite helpless without his staff. He resolved to speak with a cold that was as chilly as ice.

"I am a guardian of childhood." He muttered. "How the hell can you make me compare my job's importance to taking care of my daughter?"

"Priorities." Anna answered. She would not back down. "Don't you realize that the whole time we're arguing here, you're missing time on both your job and your daughter?"

At this, Jack Frost's resolve crumbled, sagging his head as he let out his most exasperated sigh. It was no use trying to hold up his anger. It only tired him, in fact… and he was only helping her waste his precious time.

So he'd settle with giving in to her demands. He'd make it look like he tried. He'll only do this once. He hoped the other guardians would understand why he'd be late for that call…or he hoped that the guardians would search for him and rescue him from the terror that was Anna so he could just do his job already. He was certainly betting on the latter.

He needed his staff. If he could get his staff, he could escape.

So… this had to be his last… last… last… attempt at escaping Princess' Anna's clutches.

"Give me my staff… and I'll do what you ask."

Now it was Rapunzel who narrowed her eyes. She had obviously seen though Jack's final desperate attempt at escape. She knew full well that doing this was wrong, but she also agreed that Elsa should get to see him, at least for Snowflake's sake, as off and wrong as it sounded to her own ears, or maybe it was just one of the symptoms of her being pregnant. She was dead tired, she wanted to see her husband as soon as possible, and she was already pitying the man who was humiliatingly tied to a chair by a couple of damsels and at the same time annoyed at him for being stubborn enough to resist the ever-persistent Anna.

She began to tread dangerously closer to the winter spirit, a deadly aura enveloping her as Jack's defenses began to diminish slowly at her presence.

"Something brought you here, Jack Frost…" Rapunzel said icily. "Call it fate… destiny…"

"The winter season." Jack Frost muttered, but then he was cut off when Rapunzel yanked his chair towards her until he was suddenly almost nose to nose with the brunette. Blue and green clashed, one looking surprised and the other dazzlingly menacing.

"But believe me when I say this…" she drawled out, "that you can tear up this castle brick by brick, but you will _never _find your precious staff!"

Jack gulped, feeling the intensity of her words and gaze, and the frightening threat that was her saucepan pointed beneath his chin to tilt his head upward. He noticed the chameleon suddenly perched on her shoulder, mimicking the same icy stare his master was giving Jack.

"If… I do what you say… you'll give me back my staff, and let me go?" He murmured, stating the obvious.

"I promise," Rapunzel told him firmly. He didn't look convinced. She continued. "And when I make a promise, I never, _ever, _break that promise!"

Jack stared at her blankly.

"_Ever!"_ Rapunzel confirmed.

He sighed. There was no other way to it then…

"Alright," He said finally.

Rapunzel, feeling the sudden mood swing that comes with being pregnant, released her hold on Jack's chair, making him crash head first to the floor as she jumped merrily at the center of the room congratulating herself on her wicked awesome acting abilities. Anna felt like she was going to cry of happiness at having the first part of her plan finally coming into action, not minding how inconsiderate she was of keeping him from his obviously important meeting with some guardians, or of how she and Rapunzel had ignored his painful groans muffled against the cold wooden floorboards.

Jack felt like he was the most miserable guy in all the world.

...

Snowflake held back her giggles as she stealthily hid herself from view. Interestingly, most of the guests were inside the ballroom, giving her enough time and leverage to do the all important mission her Uncle Euge assigned for her to do.

She carried a brown satchel with her, filled with what Eugene told her to be powerful weapons that struck fun and happiness to its unlikely victims.

The Whoopie Cushions.

And her mission was to hide the peculiar things beneath the soft foam of the guest rooms' seats. She was excited... terribly excited of the reactions the things would draw from whoever sat on their comfy chairs. When asked why the things were called "Whoopie Cushions", Eugene just shrugged and said that people were supposed to yell "whoopie" once someone's tush squeezes the air out of those weapons. Such a peculiar name for a peculiar thing. It was as funny as the sounds that the cushions made.

Well, if it would make her Mama happy, then who was she to question the manufacturer's judgement. The poor gullible child.

Eugene knew he would get the ultimate beating of his life once Elsa figures this out. But he knew it was going to be worth it.

Well, going back with the winter child, Snowflake had successfully hid a couple of whoopie cushions from several guest rooms, gradually nearing the more crowded areas of the castle while staying completely unnoticed. She cleverly avoided anyone's line of sight by hiding behind curtains and armors and pillars, but she knew she'd be discovered soon enough if she took more time.

She saw an open door to a grand looking room, treading lightly and melting the frost her footsteps left to hide her tracks. Just a little more and...

"Hi!"

Snowflake flinched and almost tripped at the sight of Olaf suddenly behind her. The little snowman almost giggled at her reaction before his brows scrunched together in curiosity.

"Watcha doin' Snowflake?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Shhh..." Snowflake hushed him, pressing a finger to her lips. "I'm on a secret mission."

The little snowman made a thrilled skip of excitement at the sound of a secret mission. Olaf wanted in on it as he lightly tugged on the fabric of Snowflake's white silk dress.

"Can I join? Can I? Can I? Can I?" he asked her with pleading eyes.

Snowflake flashed him a brilliant smile in confirmation. Olaf squealed in delight until the child placed a hand against his mouth to silence him.

"Shhh..." the girl reminded him.

"What are we supposed to do exactly?" Olaf whispered as she removed her hand from his lips.

"We put these whoopie cushions under the guest rooms' chairs. But we have to do them secretly." Snowflake explained in a hushed voice.

"Why are they even called whoopie cushions?"

"Because you're supposed to say 'whoopie' when someone sits on them."

"Oh..." Olaf replied. " Amd why are we speaking in hushed voices?"

"Well..."

The both of them looked around. They were the only ones present loitering the halls. It seemed that everyone was already inside the ballroom as the voices and music sounded faint and distant from the far side of the wing.

The odd silence broke when they heard soft sobs from the open guest room. Olaf and Snowflake stared at each other, both curious about the sound. Taking the first step, Snowflake entered the room with Olaf behind her, taking a peek before completely welcoming herself inside the room. It was bigger and grander than the others with all its designs amd decorations. But what really caught their attention was a woman with long dark hair dressed in a metalic green gown, sobbing softly against her handkerchief as she stared at a picture in her oval-shaped locket.

Olaf accidentally knocked an ice figurine down, grabbing the woman's attention with a surprised flinch. Snowflake noticed that the woman had beautiful grey eyes, but they were filled with such unspoken sorrow that the girl found quite unsettling.

"Hello?" Snowflake and Olaf greeted her nervously.

The woman smiled, but the tears never ceased to stream down her cheeks. She closed the locket in her hand and replaced the thing around her neck, biting her lip as she fought another sob to come out. Olaf and Snowflake stood there speechless for a moment, and the woman looked the other way, pretending that no one had seen her in her state.

"Should we come in and do the mission now?" Olaf asked her through the corner of his mouth.

"Uhm... yeah!" Snowflake answered in the same way.

So the both of them entered the room, awkwardly placing cushions beneath the chairs where the woman could not see. Snowflake wanted to ask her so badly what was wrong, but it seemed that the woman didn't seem to want company.

"All she needs is a warm hug." Olaf grinned at her from the other side of the room.

"Does she wanna hug, Olaf?" she asked him.

Olaf looked at the woman and shrugged. "I dunno."

The woman let out a sigh as a hand clamped gently to her mouth. She hoped that the girl and the snowman (which unsettled her a bit yet chose to not show it) would go away and leave her alone. She was slightly embarassed that someone had seen her in that situation, but there wasn't anything she could do about it then.

Without warning, Snowflake made half-hurried steps towards the woman, cupping the woman's face with her tiny hands. Normally such a gesture seemed intrusive of personal space, but the woman didn't seem to mind as she blankly stared back at the little girl with a gaze as distant as the midnight moon.

"Why are you crying?" Snowflake asked. Olaf wanted to pull her back, thinking that her words and actions seemed a bit rude though she didn't mean them to be. But then he saw the womam smile, and decided to just stay in place and watch the odd scene before him.

"I miss my daughter." the woman whispered softly. She turned away, gazing towards the windows as she wiped the remainder of her tears with her handkerchief.

"Why? Did she go away?" Snowflake asked her a little too bluntly.

Not minding that the girl was a little bit too intrusive, she answered. "Something like that." The woman shifted a bit and inhaled a breath. "Shouldn't you be with your parents right now? They might be looking for you."

Snowflake blinked up at her and murmured. "Olaf and I are playing a game."

The woman turned her gaze towards a wgistling snowman who hid a prank item around his back at being caught.

"Yes..." the woman said blankly. "I can see that. But do your parents know that you're wandering around the castle with a snowman?"

"No." Snowflaked answered honestly.

The woman smiled wryly. "You should probably go and be with them though. They might worry."

Snowflake shrugged. "Papa is playing a wierd game with my aunts. And Mama is busy with some party today so I'm playing with Uncle Euge. And then Uncle Euge made me do some special mission, and I also have Olaf with me so I'm okay!" She concluded with a brilliant grin.

The woman's smile turned sad, as if she understood the winter child's predicament.

"My daughter... She used to run around with her pet dog around our home too." the woman murmured suddenly.

Snowflake cocked her head to the side. "Really? Then what happened?"

The woman paused for a moment, her gaze turning distant as she let out a wary sigh.

"She went away." she replied, as if to answer her earlier question.

"Did she come back?" Snowflake asked. Olaf tried to halt her, knowing full well what the woman implied. But then the woman was quick to amswer.

"She won't." the woman said simply. "She's already happy where she is."

The child began to sit beside her as she let her hair dangle to the side while cocking her head meaning to catch her eyes with her own.

"Then why are you so sad then?"

The woman stared back at her, slightly irked that the child was trying to pry on a subject she did not want to speak about. But those familar blue eyes of hers seemed to bore into her soul, as if it didn't allow herself to resist her. She parted her lips, contemplating between telling her the trith to get it over and done with or to just tell het to scram. While she looked back into her eyes, she considered the former choice.

"I miss her laugh.. her smile... her tears... I never got to share them with her because I was always so busy. But now she's gone... And I'll never be able to share those with her."

"I'm sorry..." Olaf murmured, feeling the woman's grief.

The woman smiled wryly. "I'm sure she hated me before she left. Because I was always never there... I was a terrible mother..."

Snowflake reached up and motioned the woman's face towards her again. The woman gasped, wanting to jerk away but couldn't as she sat frozen in place against the girl's touch. Olaf was confused, but he stood there waiting and watching... with goosebumps suddenly running through his stick arms when he heard the little girl speak.

Her voice sounded different. And her eyes also suddenly looked different.

"Mother..." the snow child spoke, her eyes that were once blue now a stormy grey, similar to the woman's. "I never hated you... _ever._"

Olaf watched as the woman sat there staring like she had seen a ghost.

"But... You can't... You're already..."

"I always loved you, no matter what." the child spoke on, with a voice that was both deep and child like and had a slightly different accent.

"Agatha?" the woman breathed, cupping Snowflake's face in her hands. "Agatha?"

"Mother, please smile... You're prettier when you smile."

The woman held her breath as silent tears began to stream down her pale cheeks. Soon she buried her face against the crook of the child's neck, shaking as she wept and murmured apologies that were muffled against the little girl's silk dress.

"Agatha..." the woman cried. "Agatha... Oh Agatha..."

"I think you got it wrong lady..." Olaf murmured uncertainly. "Her name's Snowflake..."

But the both of them didn't pay attention to the confused Snowman. They just stayed there in each others arms, sobbing and hugging and kissing each other's cheeks. They were like a picture of a mother and child reunited after long years of separation... and it confused Olaf so much because for all he knew, Snowflake was Elsa's daughter. She hadn't been born until yestetday... so... Why did they act as if they knew each other for so long?

Olaf's mind ran in circles as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. He wanted to ask, but what was the question he wanted to seek answers to? It confused him so much that his unexisting brain seemed to hurt.

He wanted to pull them away from each other to seek answers... until he saw that the woman slowly went limp, like she had fallen asleep.

With Snowflake's back turned, she guided the woman's form across the sofa, placing a soft pillow beneath her head. She gently parted the woman's hair to the side and planted a soft kiss against her temple, withdrawing away and turning to Olaf with tearstains on her own cheeks.

"Snow?" Olaf asked. "You're... crying..."

Olaf noticed that her eyes had once again turned blue.

Surprised with the snowman's observation, she quickly wiped her cheeks and smiled that devious smile of hers. "No I wasn't"

Before the snowman could retort, Snowflake took him by the arm and dragged him out of the room with wide hurried steps. He felt the air turn several degrees colder as frost crept from her fingertips to his hands.

"Come on! We still have to finish our secret mission!" Snowflake said cheerfully.

But Olaf didn't miss another tear that glistened at the corner of her eye... Nor the fact that the satchel filled with whoopie cushions were still inside that room beside the sleeping woman.

...

A/N: Okay... Don't kill me... Please.

You know when I said this was gonna be the last installment for this arc? Well...the chapter got too long for my liking and didn't want to cut off the events here because they're pretty important for the plot so... TT_TT oh please dont kill me. It's kind of the reason why it took me this long to update because I was battling with myself about how I'd make the chapter flow towards the all important you know what.

I would like to thank Story Hunter for drawing cutsey chibi versions of this story's main characters. I'll be uploading them on deviant someday credited to Story Hunter... But not now since I still have a lot of stuff to do...

Also to Kaika Hana who beta'd this for me. :) Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my emails! :D

To MischievousRose, for reasons she already knows.

To those who PMed me if Story Hunter has a deviantart account? Hmm... I'm gonna have to ask Story Hunter too. ^_^

To those who stood by me and this fic, thank you!

Aaaand the final installment of this arc will be... On the first week of June (If there would be delays, it means I'm working on thesis, life, college drama, and perfecting the chapter)

A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL!

(More than 100 followers... o_O i never thought this was gonna happpen... Wow.)


	10. Chapter 9: Who's the Father? (Part V)

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything... Wait, slash that. I own everything. :) Go ahead and spread that rumor... If you even dare...**

**Chapter 9: Who's the Father? (Part Five)**

Kristoff still felt weird wearing rich people's clothes, but he also felt proud wearing them.

That was because for the first time in forever, he had finally started a business that was an upgrade from selling giant blocks of ice cubes all over the kingdom. The perks of being Arendelle's official ice master and deliverer allowed him to start up a delivery business that included items more than ice. In a few months time, he managed to start up a franchise of Arendelle's top sleds... Who would have guessed?

And with the help and advice from his adoptive family of trolls, he had managed to start up a small snow cone and ice cream parlor in the heart of the city. Since Arendelle was gradually, if not completely accepting of the technology introduced by the west, he had to adjust with the inevitable possibility that fridges might put his ice business either to death, or a longer and more prosperous lifespan. He felt smug as he set his mind on the latter, and he definitely considered it an upgrade.

So everything that was expensive about him, from his ironed suit, to his leather boots, to Sven's imported reindeer shoes, and to his remodeled sled, that was a gift from the queen, was the result of all the blood, sweat, and tears from working his butt off for that ice business he so loved.

Yes. Kristoff was close to being filthy stinking rich.

He felt that he was gradually becoming more worthy of Anna's love and affection.

But, to discreetly show off his pride around the castle full of rich people wasn't the reason why he came. He had heard from his lovely girlfriend that today was some duchess' birthday... and of course, he had to be Anna's escort. Besides that, the girl mentioned something about introducing some Jack-person to him, and she had been very visibly excited about it too. He snorted. It's not that he was jealous or anything, but the way Anna told him about this Jack being all "good-looking" and "magical" and having teeth that sparkled like "freshly fallen snow" kind of struck a nerve in the ex-mountain man. The only comfort he had was when Anna mentioned him being the snow-child's "Papa".

Knowing about Snowflake wasn't much of a shocker, really. When you grew up in a dark valley raised by a clan of magical troll rocks, some things in life are just not that much of a surprise anymore. And the kid was pretty cute. He found the girl to be such an adorable little tyke. He was totally cool with Anna talking about the kid half of the time they'd spent the previous day together.

He could not say the same when the topic was about this Jack person though. In fact, he found himself wondering how the girl who only existed for a couple of hours could claim to have a 'Papa'.

"Flynn?"

Kristoff realized he had wandered into an empty guest room while deep in thought. And there, he found Eugene Fitzherbert, also known as Flynn Rider, the ex-thief, who was definitely not a person he had expected to see. The brunette man was caught in the act of putting whoopie cushions beneath the couches with a shocked expression as sweat trickled down the side of his face. Kristoff found himself agape and... merrily surprised.

"Wait... Kristoff? Is that you, blondie?" Flynn's brows were raised, a smirk sketched across his face. He stood from his place and rushed to the bulky man, greeting him with an affectionate, brotherly hug. Both men laughed as they slapped each other's shoulders playfully, some tears held back at the corner of their eyes.

"Wow!" Eugene exclaimed. "Look at you... You're like, all grown up! I mean... the last time I saw you, you were like, only four or five years old or something! How did you even know it was me?"

Kristoff laughed. "A guy like you's pretty hard to forget! You were like the big bro of the orphanage, man!" Kristoff followed the man inside the room and sat on an unbooby-trapped couch.

The two men talked about each other's lives after years of not seeing each other. Unknown to everyone, Eugene and Kristoff once belonged to the same orphanage in a coastal village near Corona. They, along with a couple of other kids, conspired to run away from the place for their own reasons. Flynn's was to become the person he always wanted to be, and Kristoff's was to search for a father whom he heard was a citizen of Arendelle but was never found.

They weren't that close, actually, but Kristoff remembered the man well enough to get the courage he needed to press on. During those times, Flynn had been well-known for his charismatic and rebellious nature, and all the younger kids looked up to the brunette lad. And of course, Eugene, in spite of himself, was very affectionate towards the younger kids in his youth. It was only until after the kid met Sven on a cargo boat to Norway that days in the orphanage were but a mere smudge in Kristoff's memories.

"Now look at you! You pulled off the Flynnigan Rider kind of life you always dreamed of!" Kristoff's eyes narrowed. "How the heck did you manage to pull this off, you devious stinker?"

Eugene barked a laugh. "Oh no, little man. I'm pretty much a changed guy. It's a long story, actually. Kind of a near-death experience turned lovey-dovey and all. I'm already married, in fact!"

"Naw..." Kristoff breathed in disbelief. "Don't tell me you used the smoulder on the poor girl!"

"She's actually the first to resist the smoulder, little man!" Eugene grinned as he eyed Kristoff from top to bottom. "Or... I guess I should really stop calling you little man now. You're even more of a beefcake than little old me! Hah!"

"Wow... So the great Flynn Rider has finally found the love of his life," Kristoff smiled in return. "Congratulations!"

"Aw Kris, nobody calls me Flynn anymore. The name's already technically dead," Eugene said as he leaned back against his chair. "My real name is actually Eugene Fitzherbert. Never got the chance to tell you after we ran away from that sleezeball orphanage. Sorry."

Kristoff almost choked on his saliva. "YOU'RE PRINCESS RAPUNZEL'S HUSBAND?"

Eugene smirked. "The one and only."

"You lucky son of a gun," Kristoff grinned.

Both men's attentions were caught by the Queen of Arendelle, dressed in her iconic teal dress (minus the trail), and her hair in her coronation braid. Behind her stood the charismatic Duke of Strabald: Lord Walter Raleigh Falconer, and his two escorts, all bowing greetings to the two men inside the room.

"Oh, greetings, gentlemen." the duke smiled at them.

Kristoff's heart rate spiked a bit at the presence of two high political figures. He bowed, trying to fight the tremble in his voice as he uttered his own greetings.

"Your majesties," Kristoff said. "It's nice to... Uhm... Meet you."

"We are honored that you have graced us with your presence," Eugene smiled. Unlike Kristoff, he seemed a bit more confident with himself. "My lord," He nodded to the duke and then, to Elsa, with a slight narrowing of his eyes. "My queen."

"As you were... my prince," Elsa replied, her own eyes glaring at the Coronan prince.

"Ah... It is an honor to meet the husband of the Princess of Corona," the duke smiled, then turned to Kristoff. "And of course, this young man whom I do not yet know. May I ask of his name?"

"K-Kristoff, sir!" Kristoff stuttered, a blush dusting his cheeks. "Arendelle's official ice master and deliverer."

The duke surprised him with a light chuckle. "I see. What an interesting fellow you are. I see you and the prince of Corona are old acquaintances?"

Elsa's brows were raised at this as she looked quizzically at her sister's boyfriend. Kristoff answered her with an uneasy smile, knowing full well from Anna that the queen was not in good terms with the Coronan prince. Elsa sighed, quickly wearing a smile she wore whenever around a roomful of dignitaries. Kristoff reminded himself that, as Anna had put it, this was the queen's 'I can't believe this is happening' poker face. He almost felt sorry for the queen, sensing her quiet distress.

"Yes, we came from the same orphanage once." Eugene answered for him. "It's been a fairly long time. But I don't forget a handsome face like this one."

Kristoff turned red at Eugene's joking compliment. The duke laughed, clearly amused with the brunette man's antics. He saw Elsa roll her eyes behind the duke, clearing her throat as if to draw their attention.

"Kristoff, have you seen my sister? And Snowflake too? Where could they be?"

Kristoff raised his brows and shook his head politely. "Uhm, I haven't seen the both of them... your highness."

Eugene froze when he heard Elsa's inquiry of Anna's and Snowflake's whereabouts. Of course, the queen's observant eyes took notice of this, turning her full attention towards the man and leaving the duke in confused amusement at the scene before him.

"You met with Anna at the port, right?" Elsa asked him with a fake smile. "Where did you think she'd run off to with the lovely missus?"

Eugene stepped back, feeling the literally cold and deadly aura emanating through the woman's stare. She knew just as well as Eugene that Anna and Rapunzel together often resulted to inevitable disasters. That was why oftentimes, Eugene was a-okay with letting the girls bond- because he knew full well that it would be the death of Elsa. The two had been responsible for Elsa's suitors who miraculously appear at her doorstep without her knowing. Those blind dates Elsa reluctantly took was the fruit of those two hopeless romantics' combined efforts to get her a love life.

But today was a different issue altogether. Because the fact that Anna was alone with a pregnant Rapunzel meant Elsa was in her protective sister/cousin mode. And he would answer to the queen's wrath. He shuddered.

"They're bonding somewhere in the guest rooms," Eugene lied... quite impressively, in fact. "Told me something about 'girl talk' and all. They practically kicked me out of the room."

"Figures," the duke said. "That's one thing I believe I will never understand in a woman's need for privacy."

Eugene smiled sheepishly, eyeing Kristoff with a knowing look, whispering through his lips as he gestured towards the queen in secret. "Well, girls are at times such complicated forces of nature."

"I heard that," Elsa muttered through her fake smile.

"Well now, I was hoping I could meet with this child called Snowflake," the duke said, interrupting them. "The queen told me interesting things about her, and I wanted to see for myself."

"Oh, you mean the queen's snow kid?" Eugene asked him. But as soon as the question left his lips, he had quickly regretted it.

Because Elsa had apparently turned pale.

"Snow kid?" the duke asked with a raised brow.

"Uhm you see... Snowflake is..." she murmured.

"She's just like Olaf," Kristoff interjected.

"You mean the talking snowman?" the duke inquired. He turned to his escorts who just shrugged politely. "I thought you said she was a relative of yours. Not a snow being..."

"She is." Elsa said. "She's uh... she's uhm..."

"Mama!"

All heads turned to the door where a child with silvery locks and blue eyes wearing a silver dress stood alongside a talking Snowman. She ran inside towards Elsa, wrapping her arms around the queen's legs as she smiled cheekily at the shocked queen. The duke was clearly taken aback, watching as a light dusting of snow floated around the pair at their awkward greeting.

"The child is... your daughter?" the duke asked her, a mix of... of shock, and horror, and awe at the sight of the snow child.

"Let me explain..."

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!" Olaf cheered as he skipped inside.

"A Snowman named Olaf?" Eugene questioned.

Snowflake turned to the duke, walking toward him slowly as she eyed her with curiosity. She grinned up at him then bowed a curtsey, rendering the queen's visitors speechless.

"It's nice to meet Mama's guests," she greeted with a bow and small giggle.

The duke opened and closed his mouth, looking incredulous as he shifted his gaze from the girl to the queen. The resemblance was remarkable and it left him with questions that were aching to be answered...

Starting with the queen's chastity.

He eyed his escorts with an intimidating look. A clear sign understood by the servants of Strabald that should word of this spread, he would not hesitate to punish. His escorts agreed with a nod as they stood there quietly, watching the duke put on that dominating aura that rendered those who tried to cross him intimidated. Elsa seemed to shrink at the duke's stare that demanded an explanation. Quietly she gestured to the chairs, inviting all men in the room to sit with her and talk it out. They complied, settling themselves as Elsa placed Snowflake gingerly beside her on a sofa.

And then there were farting sounds.

All heads turned to Kristoff who looked pale, staring at the man whom he knew to be Flynn Rider, expertly suppressing a laugh.

"Whoopie!" Snowflake and Olaf cheered.

The duke blinked. Elsa blinked. Even the two escorts blinked.

Kristoff was red all over.

"So are we all going to the party now?" Olaf asked. Everyone snapped their heads at the snowman. Kristoff sighed in relief, deciding to thank the snowman later for breaking the awkward ice inside the room.

"Uhm... you go on ahead Olaf," Elsa told him. "We'll catch up."

Olaf stared at them for a moment then shrugged. Soon he happily skipped out of the room waving goodbye. And as soon as he left, the duke's escorts closed the doors.

The room was silent except for Snowflake's happy humming. Easing at the sound of her daughter's voice, she took a deep breath and began her explanation.

"As you all are aware of, I have been blessed with a power over the elements of winter," she began. "This little girl is one of the fruits and mysteries of my gift that I have yet to understand. I know that it's hard to believe... but Snowflake is a child conceived through the powers of ice and snow."

"It's just like the legend of the snow maiden, your lordship sir," Kristoff added nervously. "My queen and her sister had been telling stories to the young princesses yesterday, and they made a snowgirl with Elsa's powers just for fun. They didn't expect her to come to life... well, as a human, that is."

The duke shook his head slowly as he massaged his temples with his left hand. "As crazy as your explanation is, I am inclined to believe you Queen Elsa, since my wife speaks no ill will of you or your morality..." the duke paused and closed his eyes for a moment, the evidence of age crinkling at the corner of his eyes. "But how do you expect me to fully grasp this? It's almost as if you've equated your powers with that of God. Snowmen and ice castles are more believable if you asked me... Even the eternal winter seemed easier to accept... But to have created a human out of snow? No one will believe you."

Snowflake looked at Elsa with a worried face. "Mama... I don't understand what he's saying."

Elsa smiled at her reassuringly and turned to the duke. "My lord, I am not placing myself equal with God. However, I do speak the truth of the matter. I'm trying all I can to figure out how this happened... but I assure you that no affair with a man was made that I've suddenly become this child's parent."

Kristoff and Eugene eyed the exchange awkwardly. Eugene opened his mouth to speak, but decided not to. Both men decided to just sit still and watch.

The duke smiled apologetically. "That is what I am concerned about, Elsa. You are in no need of convincing me... But I'm only saying this because you are like a daughter to me. In a world filled with skeptics, no one will believe your explanation. Though there might be few that would believe... but those who are not for the union will see this as a scandal and a question to your dignity. What will become of Arendelle? And what will become of you?"

Eugene coughed and intervened. "With all due respect, Lord Falconer, I believe we can make terms work for us if we tried hard enough. My wife and I would gladly act as witnesses in Elsa's favor."

Elsa looked at Eugene with evident surprise. She tried to hide it, but Eugene knew the queen had been touched by his help... despite not being on good terms with each other.

"Still..." the duke pressed on. "Some others will demand another explanation... Such as the identity of the father."

"But I do have a Papa." Snowflake murmured.

All of them froze. Eugene most of all. He was the only one in the room who knew about Jack Frost's reality. Certainly she wouldn't...

"His name is Jack Frost." she grinned.

Eugene mentally slapped his head. The duke raised his brows at Elsa.

"Snegurochka?" the duke asked, not looking at the child. Elsa observed that the duke was being strangely cold towards her daughter... an observation that somewhat set her close to the edge. "Jack Frost's daughter? Really?"

Snowflake nodded.

Elsa tried to hold back the frost that was crawling all over her palms. "What would you have me do then, Lord Falconer? Have you no faith that I as queen can take these matters into my own hands?"

"It's not that, Elsa..." the duke said, using a gentler voice that reminded her of her father. "I am just worried about the people's reactions. I saw the other guests today and they seemed unsettled whenever you speak of the child's name. And should the child claim of the existence of a father... well... I can only imagine the trouble that would cause."

"They will get used to it," Elsa stated firmly. "They've dealt with the same discomfort when I first revealed my powers to them. That shouldn't really be a problem now, should it?"

The duke sighed. "No... it's not that. It's your chances of getting a husband that I'm worried about."

"I am perfectly capable of running the kingdom on my own." she spat, not meaning to be rude. But she just couldn't help it.

She pretended not to be irked by the idea of marriage... but it was an essential part of running the monarchy, especially with producing heirs. She could not surrender the job to Anna, knowing how stressful the duties of a queen could be. She understood why the duke had been so concerned. She knew the duke wanted her to get married, perhaps, preferably to his younger brother. If it were someone else, she would have guessed that the duke was scheming to squeeze his family in in the monarchy. But she knew better. Their allies from Strabald genuinely cared for the Arendelle family. Especially Lord and Lady Falconer.

Elsa closed her eyes, realizing that the reason she seemed so fond of the duke was because he reminded her of her Papa. And at the same time she shuddered, because the realization brought an all too familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"I suggest you keep your relation with the child a secret," the duke said suddenly.

Elsa froze. She had never felt so horrified... Not since she froze Anna's heart.

She stared straight at the duke's fatherly gaze. No matter how caring his words seemed, the advice he gave brought nothing to her but the sour feeling of dread.

He was asking her to conceal it.

He was asking her to _hide her._

Snowflake began to squirm uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't understand what was going on, but it sure sounded like what they were talking about wasn't very nice. The room turned several degrees colder as Elsa stared the duke down while Snowflake twiddled her thumbs nervously. Eugene looked at the child worriedly, grabbing the duke and the queen's attentions with a light clearing of his throat.

"Uh, your majesties... I believe we shouldn't be discussing this in the kid's presence." Eugene said, cocking his head to Snowflake.

To his surprise, Elsa agreed with him. "Prince Eugene is right, my lord. Is it alright that I may excuse my daughter from this discussion?"

The duke looked at her worriedly. "Alright."

"Mama... are you asking me to go away?" Snowflake asked sadly.

Elsa smiled at her apologetically. All morning she could not even spend a few minutes with her because of the party and yet now she was to send her away. She felt guilt build up inside her, silently berating herself for failing as a mother on her first day as one. But what was to be expected of her? Everything that was happening seemed to be on full throttle that she was having a hard time catching up. She didn't know the first thing about being a mother... however, she knew everything there was to know about protecting the ones she loved.

She would defend her child's existence. Not only to the duke, but to everyone else. If the duchess had not been in low spirits, she was certain Lady Helena would vie for her side.

"I'm sorry, sweetie?" she apologized. "The grown-ups have some things to discuss. Just for a few minutes?"

Snowflake rewarded her with an understanding smile. "Just for a few minutes."

"Kristoff?" Elsa turned to the ice man, a silent plea for him to accompany the girl for a while. Kristoff gladly accepted, since he was beginning to feel the awkwardness inside that room, and the duke could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to be. Despite Elsa and Eugene's relationship, both of them proved to be a great team of stubbornness during important situations, like that one time when Anna had taken it too far with raiding Corona's pantries for chocolates last Spring and it took the two of them to convince the castle baker to forgive the spirited girl.

Yup. They could convince the duke to take their side. That Snowflake didn't deserve to be hid.

Snowflake jumped down from her seat, hurrying towards the door when she stopped. Elsa raised her brows when she turned back, curious as to why the girl suddenly went to Eugene's side and pulled him down by his sleeve. Had the two already met earlier?

Snowflake stood on her toes, whispering something indistinct by the ex-thief's ear.

_"Mission accomplished, Uncle Euge!"_

And then she ran off, pulling Kristoff by the arm as she lead him to somewhere else in the castle.

For a moment, Elsa forgot to worry about explaining herself to the duke when she saw Eugene's devious smile. She narrowed her eyes at him before turning her attention back to the duke.

A smirking Eugene was _never _a good sign.

...

Jack found himself in the late King and Queen of Arendelle's chambers, along with the two princesses who kidnapped him. The reason why he was there? Well, all the King's suits from birth to death were there so... he was having a fitting.

"I thought the plan was to get Elsa to see me... _not _dress up like a nutcracker!" Jack complained as he struggled to keep his hoodie on despite all of Rapunzel's pulling. He was also half shocked that a princess was forward enough to yank a stranger's clothes off just like that. "WOULD YOU STOP THAT?!"

Anna tapped Rapunzel on the shoulder. It was the mood swings that did it, Anna decided, because Rapunzel's actions shocked her herself. Rapunzel obeyed, letting go of her grip on Jack's hood and sending him toppling towards the bed.

"It's a duchess' birthday party, Jack," Anna scolded him. "You're supposed to get dressed!"

"It isn't proper for you to be going around the castle wearing..." Rapunzel eyed him from top to bottom. "That."

"Invisible, remember?" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but we want you to look decent when Elsa sees you!" Anna scolded him. "Now stop complaining."

"It's not like I'm gonna be hanging around the ballroom all day!" Jack said. But then he paused. Why were the princesses suddenly silent?

Oh.

"You gotta be kidding me," Jack murmured. The girls planned to keep him around _all day._

"Get dressed," Anna ordered as she flung a grey, royal military suit at his face. In a few strides, she and Rapunzel were out of the room, leaving Jack inside, sitting across a bed covered in white, ghostly sheets, with the suit in his hands.

He grit his teeth. He was supposed to be at the North Pole that minute.

Why had things suddenly gone so wrong?

_Toctoctoc...Tocto__ctoc..._

Jack whipped his head toward the windows. His eyes sparkled at the sight of Baby Tooth, whom he had never felt so happy to see in all his life. He ran to the window and opened it to let her in. Because of the chill of the winter air, the fairy shot inside the room like a bullet, in hopes of the promise of warmth.

Baby Tooth began tweeting happily at the sight of a Jack who seemed a-okay.

"Baby Tooth! Boy am I glad to see you..." Jack grinned as he let the little fairy cuddle his chest.

The fairy began tweeting and tweeting and tweeting angrily, and Jack guessed that this was a fairy's version of a rant.

"Don't worry, they haven't hurt me that badly," he reassured. "Where's Snowflake by the way?"

The fairy answered her with more tweets and gestures.

"She's with her mother now?" Jack asked. Baby Tooth nodded. "That's good."

Baby Tooth began tweeting angrily again. Jack laughed.

"I know, I know. North will understand why we're late." and then an idea struck him.

Jack held Baby Tooth in a firm but gentle grip as he held her close. He peeked at the door to check if the two princesses were around. After confirming that they weren't, he began whispering to Baby Tooth.

"I need you to do something for me... so that we can get out of here as soon as we can."

Baby Tooth answered him with a salute.

"I need you to go back to that kitchen and find my staff." he instructed quietly. "I have a gut feeling that they haven't moved it out of that room. Can you do that?"

The fairy answered him with a determined tweet.

"Good," he smiled. "Well then, be careful."

Baby Tooth then shot through the closed window. Wait... she could pass through walls? Then why did she have to knock?

Jack shook his head and grinned to himself. Slowly, he removed his hoodie and stared at the full body mirror beside the grandfather clock in that dark, dusty room. He stared at his half naked self, watching with awe at the ghostly reflection that stared back at him. Jack rarely looked at himself in the mirror, so every time he saw himself, seventeen and unchanging, glowing like an ethereal ghost, it never ceased to unsettle him. He sighed.

He continued removing his other articles of clothing and reluctantly slid his legs into Anna's father's grey slacks. It fit him well, since the clothes were fitted to the King in his days as a youth. They just barely met his ankles, but it was manageable. He was forced to wear knee length boots anyway so, no harm done, he guessed.

He then wore the top half, fastening the buttons and putting on the royal blue sash across his frame. He pinned meaningless gold badges onto the front and smoothed the fabric of its sleeves. As he did so, frost began to dust the hems of his suit, making his attire look closer to silver than grey. He stared at his reflection again, observing himself. He grinned, finding that the princely look suited him quite well.

"Not half bad, Jack Frost," he grinned to himself.

"Not half bad at all."

Jack flinched at the sight of Anna and Rapunzel who were suddenly at the door. He let out a breath and tried to hide his embarrassment from being caught talking to his reflection like an imbecile. The girls giggled, circling him like two vultures as they scrutinized his overall look. The face Anna made told Jack that she was fairly impressed.

"You look good in that outfit Jack," Anna grinned. "I think you should wear that all the time."

Jack rolled his eyes and smiled playfully at her. "Not a chance."

"Ooh! This plan's getting me all excited!" Rapunzel said enthusiastically. "I can't wait to see the look on Elsa's face when she sees you!"

Jack raised his brows. "And how exactly are we going to do that?"

Rapunzel blinked. "Do what?"

"Make her see me?" Jack asked. "Don't you guys have a plan?"

Silence.

Jack groaned. "You girls haven't thought that far ahead have you?"

Anna puffed her cheeks and looked away in frustration. "I DO have a plan, mister! It's just struggling to get out of my head, that's all."

For the umpteenth time that day, Jack groaned.

"Oh Manny help me," he muttered.

Anna began pacing around the room as Jack and Rapunzel sat gloomily across the bed. Both of them sighed alternately as they watched Anna pause, grin, then go back into thinking mode for about thirty minutes already. Jack was still betting on Baby Tooth finding his staff so that he could get out of there pronto, but he was beginning to get anxious at how it was taking too long.

As for Rapunzel... well, she was beginning to crave for some hazelnut soup.

"Ooh! I know!" Anna yelled finally, turning towards the both of them with the brightest expression she could muster. "We're gonna get Jack to use his powers for Elsa to believe in him!"

Rapunzel brightened up at the sound of a plan. Because as soon as there was a plan, there was going to be some food... wait, that was the wrong logic.

"I can't do that without my staff though." Jack told her with a wry grin. But Anna continued smirking as she pointed a finger at his nose.

"Yeah you could!" she said. "But it's only limited. You said so yourself!"

Jack groaned. Him and his big mouth.

"How?" he asked with a depressed sigh.

Anna grinned. "What was your name again?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Jack Frost..." Then his mouth formed into an 'o'. "Okay, I see where you're getting at."

Anna went on. "When Elsa sees frost that doesn't come from her powers, she's gonna have to be curious about that, right? And then we can have Jack write something on the frost like... 'I am Jack Frost, Snowflake's Papa' or something. Simple right?"

"There's one problem though," Rapunzel intervened as she cupped her chin with her thumb and index finger. "The whole castle is winter-themed. We can't be sure if Elsa would notice instantly. And let's not forget that Snowflake has the same powers. She could assume that it was Snow who did it, right?"

"Not unless we get the two alone together... Somewhere without much people or decor, and where Jack can properly do his magic!" Anna grinned deviously.

"Where?" Jack asked her.

"The balcony," Anna replied, her eyes all dreamy. "It would totally be just you and her."

Jack paused a moment, contemplating about the plan until an idea struck him. It was better and pretty much full proof in a way. It was something he felt sure that only he could do.

"Or I could do this," he said. He stood and walked towards the window pane, sliding his hand across the glass and forming flower-patterned frost where his fingers touched. Anna and Rapunzel marveled at the sight, finding the frost he made somewhat prettier and more elegant than Elsa's.

Jack grinned, satisfied with their expressions. "Watch."

He drew a butterfly on the window using his index finger. Anna raised her brows in question at first, until Jack seemed to sort of... pull out the image from the glass. Suddenly the frost drawing came to life, turning into an ice butterfly that hovered over his palm, sparkling in the light as it fluttered its wings made of frost.

"Oh my... Jack, it's beautiful," Rapunzel breathed in awe.

Jack let the butterfly perch on his finger, bringing the thing close to his lips as he blew frost over the creature. The action caused the ice butterfly to multiply in number, as dozens and dozens of butterflies began flying all around the room in a parade of blue and white lights. They circled around the princesses, coating them in an enchanting flurry of snow, dancing as the ice settled upon their skirts, shimmering at every movement of the pleats.

The butterflies swarmed, swirling into a vortex of blue lights at the ceiling, compressing into a ball of snow then exploding into a shower of soft blue flakes falling to the floor...

Anna appeared like she was about to cry.

"Let's go with your plan..." she sniffed in wonder and amazement. "Yours is a better plan."

...

The Duchess awoke, feeling slightly woozy as she sat up albeit too abruptly. She tried to recall the events that transpired before, but the only images she could retain was that of a child with silver hair and a talking snowman.

Oh, and perhaps a pair of storm grey eyes.

"Agatha," Helena murmured.

She sat up, somewhat feeling oddly at peace for some reason. She didn't understand how one moment, it seemed the world felt cruel and unjust to her, and the next she felt like... like a heavy burden had been eased off of her. A soft smile sketched her face as she fingered the chain of her locket against her neck. She let out a breath as she stepped out of the room, finally beginning to appreciate the decor of the halls as she walked towards the ballroom in long and graceful strides.

As she entered the venue of the banquet, the guests rose and the music turned into a grand welcoming tune only for her. Applause echoed across the room as she stepped inside, the guests bowing curtseys and greetings of a happy birthday. She returned their gestures with a smile, feasting her eyes over the efforts of the Arendelle folk in welcoming her back to her first home.

"Announcing the presence of Lady Helena Falconer, Duchess of Strabald and celebrant of the day," declared Kai, the queen's faithful servant. "A happy birthday to you, milady."

"Thank you, Kai," the duchess replied. She scanned the perimeters for the host of the party, but she couldn't find her anywhere. Turning to Kai, she inquired of the queen's whereabouts.

"Oh, she was on her way to the study with your husband, milady," the servant replied. "But I believe they made a stop at the guest room in the right wing to welcome some guests."

"I see," Helena murmured. "Thank you."

But before she could proceed to her destination, all the guests rose again from their seats as the queen herself entered the ballroom with a blank expression on her face. They all welcomed her and she nodded in acknowledgement. But the duchess took notice of the men behind her, the duke of Strabald and his escorts, the Prince of Corona, all wearing disturbed looks as they followed the queen with their gazes. She met them halfway, through, all of them visibly surprised to see her suddenly in bright spirits... and she was also quite curious as to why the company appeared to be the exact opposite.

The duchess was talented in that way. Reading surface feelings.

"Milady," Elsa acknowledged her with raised brows. "I see that you've finally joined in on the celebration..." She shook her head. "Well... uhm... of course, since it is your birthday."

The duchess laughed. "No need to get so flustered, dear Elsa."

"I'm sorry for being rude," Elsa murmured, tucking a stray lock behind her ear.

"It's alright. You weren't," Helena smiled. "And I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Helena," the duke said, his eyes twinkling at finally seeing a genuine smile from his wife.

"I'm sorry for being in such low spirits, dear," she told him as she held him by the hand. "But I'm alright now."

"Milady," Eugene greeted her with a bow and a kiss on her left hand. "I am Prince Eugene Fitzherbert of Corona. Very pleased to finally meet you."

"And I, you," the duchess grinned. "I see that dear Rapunzel has married herself a devilishly handsome young man."

Elsa coughed at this, making Eugene stop himself from doing an eye-roll. The duchess giggled.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your daughter," Eugene murmured. Elsa and the duke found themselves taken aback at Eugene's condolence, watching the duchess for signs of her suddenly high spirits wavering.

To their surprise, it didn't.

"Ah," she said. "I just recently realized it is much healthier for me to celebrate her life than to mourn on my birthday," Helena beamed, "I'm sure that is what Agatha would have wanted."

Elsa smiled, glad that the duchess had somehow finally found closure. She dreaded to see her role model so down, and she was certain that it had pleased the duke too...

Having the duke in mind, she froze in her spot, recalling the conversation they had moments after Kristoff and Snowflake left the guest room.

_"How will you make our allies believe, Elsa? Especially when the child seems to be openly declaring that she has a father?" the duke asked her gently._

_Elsa was quiet a moment, until..._

_"I will attempt to make another like her... in front of the council of the union after the ball."_

_Eugene blinked, seeming to disagree. "No, you can't do that!"_

_"And why not?" Elsa asked him. "I myself am yet to discover what I'm capable of. I'm sure I can do it again."_

_"Think about it Elsa. You said that you didn't mean to make her... uhm... what if there was something else responsible... you know... like an intervention... why you suddenly created a child out of snow?"_

_"Intervention?" the duke asked._

_"I mean what if the legend of the child of winter was actually..." Eugene looked at them a moment then continued. "Real?"_

_"You mean Snegurochka... the snow maiden?" the duke asked increduluously. "Jokul Frosti's daughter?"_

_"Come on... think about it," Eugene told them, leaning forward with a determined expression. "The union might find it unnerving for Elsa to have made a human out of snow... but they won't question if such a thing can be done by a spirit."_

_"But he... he is just a myth," Elsa breathed, her voice trembling._

_"I think it's more believable to think Elsa didn't make the child on her own," the duke agreed. "I mean... to create, a living, breathing, flesh skinned being with your own power would take an act of God. As amazing as your powers are Elsa... it's just so hard to grasp for you to have done something so impossible."_

_"The fact that I have inexplicable ice powers is an impossibility in itself, dear duke," Elsa argued stubbornly. "And yet I have them. How can creating someone as precious as her be any harder to accept?"_

_"Elsa, he's got a point," Eugene told her. "You gotta see it from our perspective. If people start believing you could give life to humans with your power, they're most likely to turn you into a god or accuse you of being a witch. Or... they'd rather choose to believe you've become pregnant before marriage. Whether we like it or not, people tend to think about peculiar stuff that way. I think it better justifies to tell them that you made her with the help of a spirit."_

_"And would they believe in a myth, Eugene?" Elsa demanded. "The whole logic seems flawed!"_

_"Yes__," the duke answered. "If it's about creating humans, my queen, then yes, they would."_

_"If we want to prevent a scandal going out that you're a witch or a pimp or both... yes they would,__ Elsa__," Eugene stated matter-of-factly._

_"Watch your words, Fitzherbert!" Elsa warned. "And I thought you were on my side..."_

_"I am..." Eugene said. "I don't want her hidden. A few minutes with the kid and I love her like she's my own. Why can't you just tell them that she's the legend made real?"_

_"Because it'd be like telling them that Jack Frost is real!" Elsa yelled, not meaning to do so. "And they'd think me crazy for that!"_

_"It's less crazy than telling them you made a human," the duke remarked. "Think about it, Queen Elsa... and besides... perhaps Jack Frost might be real... and we just didn't know it."_

"Elsa?"

Elsa snapped from her thoughts, surprised that Eugene was suddenly beside her, a hand to her shoulder and a smile on his face. It was rare for the man to grace her with a smile, but nevertheless, she appreciated his concerned gesture.

"It's gonna be okay," he murmured. "If it comes down to violent reactions, Punzie and I are here for you."

"I just don't understand," Elsa sighed. "Why would the duke think that? I mean... when I told my earlier guests about her, they didn't seem that problematic about it..."

As Elsa spoke, she suddenly felt aware of the guests' stares. Even with the loud cheerful music resonating through the room, she could hear the gossip that passed through some of the guests lips... it felt strange, making her suddenly feel so conscious of herself.

"Have you heard?" one lady in red murmured to another. "The queen already has a child?"

"How come? She's not even married yet"

"The dignitaries that stayed from the previous ball said she claimed she made the child out of snow."

"Snow? So the child is a snowman?"

"No. The child is human in every way! She even has ice powers like the queen!"

"GASP! By jove! Did she have an affair?"

"She claims she made her with her powers... but I don't believe that's true."

"It's more likely she had someone get into her skirt and got pregnant... such a shame."

"But the child looked to be four years old! Wasn't she cooped up in this castle before the you-know-what?"

"We never know... she might have sneaked off into the night without the King and Queen knowing."

"It might be one of the reasons, aside from her powers, why she never came out of those gates!"

"Shush! The queen is looking this way!"

Elsa felt embarrassed as she turned her head away. How could they say that about her? She was confident that the earlier guests had taken the news about Snowflake well. She could not believe that they thought of her that way...

She flexed her fingers and steadied her breath, trying to control her nerves. Eugene sensed her distress, judging by the sudden icy stab of cold that he felt on her skin. He withdrew his hand from her shoulder as the duke and duchess turned to the both of them.

"Is something the matter, Queen Elsa?" the duchess asked her with visible concern.

Elsa shook her head and answered with a smile. The duchess walked to her and held her by her arms. She gazed into the young woman's eyes, trying to read into them with her own grey ones.

"I know a damsel in distress when I see one," the duchess whispered. "I'll be here to listen when you're ready."

Elsa smiled. This was what she liked about Helena. She was a friend who didn't pry, who respected privacy and was willing to wait and listen. The queen relaxed her shoulders and let out a breath.

"Thank you, Lady Helena," Elsa said.

"May I have this dance, milady?" Eugene asked the duchess. Helena happily accepted, putting her hand in Eugene's as he led her towards the dance floor. The duke turned his head to the queen, the echo of Eugene's request to the duchess evident in his grin. Elsa bowed as she accepted his silent question, walking with the duke towards the center of the dance floor where they swayed to the cheerful music that contrasted the heaviness in her heart.

...

Jack was close to feeling dizzy at the sight of couples twirling and twirling to the harmonic sounds of tubas, violins and accordions.

He was already sick from the constant yammering of Anna and Rapunzel who kept commenting on how he should tame that messy white hair of his. That was one thing he didn't want to change though... They can force him to wear shoes and make him wear these ridiculously tight suits, but they would not have him change his hairdo. He kind of liked his messy bed-hair, thank you very much.

"I still think he could use some hair gel," Anna commented.

"No. You will not mess with my hair," Jack stated firmly. "It's already enough that you made me wear these stupid boots."

"They are not stupid. They are fashionable and they look good on you and you are going to like them," Rapunzel told him with a raised chin.

"Not with these heels..." Jack muttered under his breath. "It's lunchtime already and we still haven't seen her. Where the heck is she?"

"Patience, Jack Frost," Rapunzel reminded him. "Elsa's a queen, remember? She's supposed to be roaming around discussing important stuff with other monarchs."

"And I thought this was a birthday party," Jack rolled his eyes. "Can we please just make this quick?"

Anna interrupted him with a hard pat on his shoulder. "Look! There she is! On the dance floor with the duke!"

And then Jack saw her... Queen Elsa of Arendelle, dancing in the arms of a man who appeared to be in his mid thirties. The sight of her took his breath away. He admired how the style of her braid and bun suited her perfectly, and how the icy sparkle of her gown made her pinkish white skin glow under the morning light. But what caught Jack's attention was her eyes, a sea of blue that was a conflict against the merriment of everything around them. He found it strange... how someone with such a happy smile could have melancholic eyes at the same time. The idea mesmerized him so much that the party seemed to just fade into the background, because in that moment, Jack only saw her, that beautiful woman on the dance floor; that sparkling creature that just suddenly caught his eye.

"You are sooo pining after her, aren't you?"

Jack was snapped from his daze by a smirking Anna and Rapunzel on both his sides, cornering him to the wall. That way he could not hide the blush that threatened to cover his face as he opened and closed his mouth, struggling to find the words to say.

"You sooo have a crush on Elsa," Rapunzel grinned at him.

Jack didn't even have time to deny it as his brows scrunched together, obviously exposing his attempt at denial. Anna giggled excitedly at this with Rapunzel joining her shortly after.

"I just think she's pretty is all..." Jack muttered angrily to himself. But Anna caught his weak reasoning.

"Oh! You are sooo into her!"

"Come on! I find a lot of girls pretty. She's not the only one," Jack reasoned. "Heck, I even find you pretty, too."

Anna and Rapunzel stopped giggling and stared at him silently for three seconds. They looked away from him with a blush on their faces as they murmured apologies to the winter spirit.

"I'm sorry Jack... but I love Eugene. I'm already married."

"It would have worked out... but I already have Kristoff in my life... I'm sorry Jack."

Jack felt like wanting to palm himself in the face. "I didn't mean it like that."

"That's why if you manage to pull this off well, you'll have Elsa all to yourself," Anna assured him.

Jack sighed. "Again with the matchmaking?"

"You know we were only kidding, Jack," Rapunzel giggled. "Lighten up."

Jack rolled his eyes. How could he lighten up knowing he's not where he was supposed to be? In his state, a pair of women suddenly passed through him, shocking both Anna and Rapunzel in the process. Even after Jack had explained the matter about his invisibility and intangibility to non-believers, it still bugged the two princesses whenever people walked through him... even the borrowed clothes became phantom to the unbeliever's eye.

"Maybe we should go to someplace less crowded?" Rapunzel offered.

"Uh, yeah," Jack agreed.

When they began towards a less populated part of the castle, they were greeted by a polished Kristoff holding Snowflake's hand. Almost automatically, Snowflake left the ice man's side, running full speed towards Jack who knelt at the sight of her, catching the child with an affectionate embrace.

"Papa, you're here!" Snowflake cheered. "And you're all dressed up like Snowflake!"

When Jack pulled her out of his embrace, only then did he notice that the girl was dressed differently. She was wearing something silvery-grey, sprinkled with frost at the hem of her skirt. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and a necklace made of snowflakes embraced her neck. Jack also observed that the girl was wearing a pair of glass-like slippers... and judging by the squirming of her toes, she did not seem to like wearing them.

"Uncle Kristoff said I should wear shoes to the ball," Snowflake pouted, answering Jack's unspoken question.

He chuckled. "Yeah your aunts forced me to wear shoes too."

"Kristoff!"

Like lovers who hadn't seen each other in an eon, Anna sprinted towards Kristoff and greeted him with a soft kiss as he twirled her around and around. He set her down when their lips parted, both of them blushing wildly at the foolish grins and amused stares of the few servants and guests that passed by.

Rapunzel coughed lightly to get their attention, though she did not suppress her own grin. "Mind introducing me to your boyfriend, Anna?"

"Oh! Uhm... Rapunzel, this is Kristoff, Arendelle's official ice master and deliverer," Anna said. "Kristoff, this is Rapunzel, my cousin, and Princess of Corona."

Kristoff gaped then bowed at the brunette princess. "Your majesty, it's an honor to finally meet you," He stood up straight and grinned. "In fact, I actually knew your husband Flynn Rider-I mean, Eugene Fitzherbert. We used to belong to the same orphanage. I just had a conversation with him before and figured that you guys were already married! Congratulations!"

Rapunzel was amazed. "Wow! Really? That's fantastic!"

"Hey, you never told me that," Anna grinned at him.

"Well, that was because I didn't know Flynn's real name back then," Kristoff answered.

"Oh, and I'd also like you to meet someone else," Anna said as she stepped to the side to reveal Jack who was still crouched in front of Snowflake. "This is Jack."

Jack snapped his head up, greeted by a blond man who smiled down at him with a slight nod. Jack thought his jaw was about to hit the ground upon realizing another adult had seen him in a single day... and with not much effort done at all.

"Nice to finally meet you, Jack," Kristoff grinned as he stretched out his hand to him. Jack stood up and shook his hand, flinching a bit at the terrible grip the man gave him. His eyes were still wide open in shock at the thought that this person could actually see and touch him at first encounter.

"Same here," Jack said monotonously as he still tried to recover from the shock.

"That was quick," he heard Rapunzel remark.

"Papa! Papa!" Snowflake tugged at Jack's sleeve. "Look, look! I learned something new today, see?"

All of them observed the child as she skipped happily towards the walls. Jack raised his brows as he watched Snowflake produce a pattern of autumn leaves all over the walls in different colors, impressed that the child developed an ability that was unique from his own.

"Wow..." Rapunzel breathed. "Snow... it's so beautiful."

"How did you do that, sweetie?" Anna asked her.

Snowflake grinned as she held out her hands that were suspiciously covered with different colors. Anna glared at Kristoff who whistled idly to the side.

"Why is there watercolor on her hands, Kristoff?" Anna asked him.

"Come on, it was just a hunch," Kristoff smiled sheepishly. "I wanted to see if she could make rainbow ice or something."

"You and your ice obsession," Anna grinned. "Now, now, wash your hands, Snowflake. It's not proper for princesses to eat with dirty hands."

Snowflake stared at her hands sadly. "Aww... but I liked all the colors..."

Jack laughed. "You can play with colors after lunch, kiddo. Now go on ahead and wash up."

The child grinned up at him and nodded."Okay Papa," And then she left for the nearby washroom.

"Anna told me you helped make Snowflake," Kristoff told Jack, which kind of surprised him yet again. "Does that mean you've got ice powers too?"

Jack stared at Anna with an incredulous expression before turning his full attention back to Kristoff. "Yes. Yes I do."

Kristoff blinked a couple of times then shrugged. "Cool."

"Wait... that... that doesn't freak you out?" the winter spirit asked him.

"Uh, no," Kristoff answered him.

"At all?!" Jack asked him again, his voice rising in pitch.

"Nu-uh," Kristoff replied. "Why should it bother me? I mean, Anna said she thinks you've got better control than Elsa, so I've no reason to freak out."

"That's not what I meant!" Jack almost half-yelled. This man was one strange fellow.

Anna laughed at Jack's bewildered expression. "You see Jack, my Kristoff was raised by a family of trolls... and, he's a believer of Jack Frost!"

Jack felt like his jaw was going to detach from his face... but it didn't compare with the shock that now came from Kristoff.

"HE'S JACK FROST?!" Kristoff asked Anna, pointing at the white-haired man before him.

"The one and only," Rapunzel grinned while Anna nodded. Kristoff and Jack exchanged shocked stares at each other before breathing out a "Wow..."

"Can I get your autograph?!" Kristoff suddenly blurted.

"O-kay?" Jack answered uncertainly.

Then, all their attention was captured by the music's sudden stop. By the throne stood Elsa, who had just recently stopped dancing with the duke. She held a goblet in her hand, raising it high in the air as she smiled serenely at the crowd before her.

"A toast to the Duchess of Strabald, Lady Helena of Falconer, on her thirty-fourth birthday!"

The sound of applause followed as the duchess, who was escorted by Eugene, began towards Elsa's side. Eugene left with a bow, and the sounds of yammering died when Helena began to speak.

"I would like to thank everyone who made it here today; to this kingdom's young queen and her sister most of all who prepared all this for me," she smiled. "It seems like it was only yesterday when I was still running through the corridors of this castle as a child, and of course... the winter season has always been beautiful here in Arendelle."

She took a short pause before continuing her speech. "As you all know, my husband and I had lost our daughter the previous month. It still saddens me that she did not live long enough to see my first home... But today, I have decided to celebrate life, knowing that that was what my dear Agatha would have wanted... and what my dear husband had hoped for upon treading the grounds of this lovely country."

She looked up and smiled. "So today, I thank everyone for celebrating this day with me. Thank you for sharing our joys and our pains, and may this be a testament to all of us, that even in the differences of our races, our colors, and our faces, we are united in celebrating one another's lives, as is the very foundation of the union of all our kingdoms."

Helena turned to the queen, raising her own glass. "And I am very honored to see the day that my dear Elsa sits on that throne, for she has shown to all of us through this ball, what it means to celebrate life in happiness with the ones you cherish and love; someone who upholds the vision for the people of the union. Long live Queen Elsa of Arendelle!"

"Long live the Queen!" the crowds echoed, and they all broke into standing ovations.

Jack saw how Elsa's eyes began to brighten at the duchess' praise. He knew that look very well because he saw it in the children he protected whenever something or someone had given them happiness, hope, and courage. For a moment, he saw that spark of childish joy in Elsa which he never expected to see, and found himself grinning at the sight before him as he applauded for the queen.

But the applause died quickly when a snow child began running towards the queen, tackling her middle with a hug. The sight startled the guests and a chorus of gasps echoed through the room upon seeing the girl... this was not a scene they expected to see.

"Mama!"

The color of Elsa's face turned pale.

"Snowflake... uhm... aren't you supposed to be with your Uncle Kristoff?" Elsa whispered worriedly as she felt the questioning stares and murmurs directed at her from the crowd.

"But I missed seeing you, Mama," the girl smiled up at her. "And I'm so happy the lady said really nice things about you."

The duchess looked at the pair with raised brows. She recognized the child, she was almost certain... she had seen her before, but she wasn't very sure. Her mind was foggy.

"She is... your daughter, Elsa?" the duchess asked.

The duke, Kristoff, Eugene, Rapunzel and Anna quickly rushed towards them all. Not everyone knew about Snowflake yet... and they all began worrying that this might turn into a scandal. Jack stayed in his place, silently watching the events that unfolded as he began listening to the harsh murmurs of the guests that surrounded them.

"The queen has an illegitimate child!"

"This is preposterous!"

"How can this be?"

"Who is the father?"

Jack felt uncomfortable... he knew he dreaded what was going to happen next.

"Get out of there, Snowflake..." Jack found himself whisper.

"Is this true Queen Elsa?" A foreign dignitary demanded. "Are you this child's mother?!"

Elsa looked up at him with confident resolve as she answered, "Yes. Yes I am."

The sounds of louder gasps emanated from within the room.

"But... but the child wasn't born in the way you think." Anna reasoned out to them. "She was born through Elsa's powers!"

"That's impossible," one man murmured. "Is the queen capable of doing that?"

"Yes she is," Rapunzel answered. "The girl is only a day old. Even the servants of Arendelle know about it."

Murmurs of agreement were heard from the servants.

"But, but... that's just outragous!" Another man who looked like a French merchant retorted. "You mean to say that the queen is capable of... of creating humans?!"

"Do not mock us, woman!" a Danish dignitary said angrily. "It is evident that the child is the queen's biological daughter!"

"You do not speak to the Princess of Corona so rudely!" Eugene hissed angrily as he poked at the man's chest hard.

"The queen possesses of no such capabilities," the duke of Strabald spoke, silencing the murmurs within the room. "Tell them, Elsa."

The crowds quietly waited for Elsa's response as she stood there staring hard at the ballroom floors. Were it not for the winter-themed whiteness of the room, the guests would have seen the thin sheet of ice that scattered from the heels of Elsa's shoes. Anna glanced worriedly at both Elsa and Snowflake... then she turned to Jack with a silent plea in her eyes...

_Help them... please..._

"Why are they all silent, Mama?" Snowflake asked Elsa with genuine curiosity.

"They... they want to know who your Papa is, Snowflake." Elsa answered her. She fought to control her panic... for some reason, she did not want to follow with the duke's plan. Perhaps it was because of the dream she had last night...

She looked at her daughter who stared at her with worried eyes... Even though she had only known her for a day, Elsa already feared to lose her. If the child really was like the snow maiden of the myths... then it would only mean... it would only mean that...

"Who is the child's father?" a woman asked.

The castle servants eyed each other worriedly. They should have known that not everyone would readily accept Snowflake's identity... but what could they do? They had no say in this... not in the matters concerning the opinions of the union.

With a sigh, Jack walked towards where Anna was... it looked like Elsa wasn't going to be the only one who needed convincing after all. He knew he was going to regret doing this for the rest of his life but... he also decided he'd do anything for the sake of Snowflake's happiness.

He just hoped the plan was gonna work.

"My Papa?" Snowflake said. "He's standing over there."

All eyes turned to where the child pointed. Jack froze in place, feeling the stares of everyone in the room directed towards him... until seconds made him realize they were actually looking _through _him.

It made it look like she was pointing at Kristoff.

The crowd made a shocked gasp.

"Her sister's lover?!"

"That is outrageous!"

"An affair?!"

Elsa looked bewildered, Anna and Rapunzel gaped, the duke and duchess looked confused, Eugene looked like he was about to burst in laughter and... Kristoff looked panicked, confused as to why everyone was whispering about him when the child was pointing at Jack.

"Wait! You got it all wrong!" Kristoff stuttered. "She-she's pointing at Jack! Not me!"

Jack, in all the hullabaloo, side-stepped near Eugene and punched him in the elbow.

"You got it all wrong!" Snowflake argued with a pout. "That's Uncle Kristoff! He's not my Papa!"

Kristoff let out a sigh of relief.

"My Papa's standing over there!" Snowflake said as she pointed at Jack... which appeared like she was pointing at Eugene through a non-believers' eyes.

"Princess Rapunzel's husband?!"

"Adultery!"

"How scandalous!"

Elsa's face contorted with worry as the crowds began muttering angrily with one another. Also, Eugene began shouting curses about how he was not the father and how he had only met the queen during the coronation the previous year. She knelt beside Snowflake to stop her, but the child's face had gone red with anger as she puffed her cheeks and fisted her hands against her skirts.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" Snowflake complained. "You got it all wrong again! He's not my Papa! He's Uncle Eugene!"

"Well who is your father then? Why won't your mother tell?!"

Anna and Rapunzel looked to Elsa who appeared like she was close to breaking down. They wanted to rush to her side, but a single look from her told them not to draw near. The frost from Elsa's and Snowflake's combined distress was slowly threatening to coat the dance floor, and the servants were also beginning to take notice of it.

Snowflake turned to Elsa, a plea in her eyes.

"Mama," she said. "Tell them Mama. He's standing over there, see? Over there... he's my Papa. His name is Jack Frost."

Elsa gazed to where she pointed at... by the column near the doors... there was no one there.

"Snowflake..." she said. "There's no one there..."

The child peered at her, hurt and confusion mixing in a swirl of deep blue. Snowflake stepped back and held her hands to her chest, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes and snow beginning to form at the spaces around her.

"Why are you still playing that game?" Snowflake sobbed softly. "It's not very fun anymore."

"Snowflake..." Elsa pleaded as she stretched her arms out for her. "Jack Frost... isn't real."

"NO!" Snowflake yelled, red ice stretching from her position on the floor in one angry stroke. The people gasped.

"The child... the child is just as dangerous as her..."

"The child is a monster..."

Snowflake looked bewildered as her tear-streaked eyes looked fearfully at the people around her. She ran towards the door, only to be caught in the embrace of Jack who crouched in front of her. He watched the people's faces in quiet anger, outraged at the accusations they flung at the queen and the child who never meant any harm.

Elsa couldn't move. She was struggling to control her emotions herself... she wanted to run out of the room too. But all she could do was watch her daughter who suddenly stopped in her tracks... and the red frost that silently receded into nothingness.

"Baby..." Jack whispered in his daughter's ear. "Watch this."

Suddenly floral-like frost began to coat the floors and the columns that supported the ceiling. The guests watched in awe, marveling at its beauty as blue snow began to descend above them. Jack pulled the girl out of his embrace, smiling as he kissed her on the nose and drew a butterfly, a bird, and a bunny on the floor. With one pull, the frost images came to life, fluttering, hovering, and hopping in the air, startling the guests as the ice creatures roamed the aerial spaces. With a breath, Jack multiplied the number of the marvelous creatures, creating a parade of blue and white lights that swarmed the ballroom with magic and happy spirits. Suddenly the feelings of rage, bewilderment and hostility disappeared, only to be replaced by a harmony of music and laughter that came out from every person's lips inside the room.

Helena and Falconer cupped their hands to catch the snow that fell from above them, inexplicable joy and merriment filling their hearts with each frozen flake that touched their skin. As Anna watched the butterflies that flew about her, it almost seemed like she was about to cry in happiness, and even Kristoff had beat her to it. Rapunzel caught an ice bird in her hand, giggling softly as she let it nip gently at her nose before setting it free, and Eugene chuckled at the bunnies that began tackling him to the floor, nuzzling his neck before they hopped off to nowhere.

Elsa watched as the magic before her captivated her own heart. She had never seen anything more beautiful in all her life. She also felt the crowd's forgiving and understanding stares as they bowed, cheered, danced, sang and spiraled before her, rendering her both confused and enchanted at the same time.

"Wow!" Snowflake marveled, excitement bubbling in her. She left her father's embrace as she began to skitter around the place, pointing excitedly at everything she saw. "Mama! Look! Look!"

She watched Snowflake run around the room, trying to catch the butterflies that flew about. The guests laughed and fawned at her, as they clapped and cheered at her antics. With all her might, she caught one... only for it to burst into a puff of blue snowflakes making her giggle in place.

One of the German dignitaries went to the girl, patting her softly on the head. "This child is no danger to anyone..."

"She is magical!" an Italian added.

"How had the child come to be?" a woman asked fondly.

All eyes turned once again to Elsa, seeking answers from the elegant queen. Elsa gulped as she straightened herself... she was going to tell them the truth...

"Anna and I were telling stories about the Child of Winter Solstice. I meant to make her to humor my sister... but instead, she became who she is now..." she smiled warmly at her daughter who grinned back."My daughter..."

"And she had help!" Anna said, startling a couple of people beside her. "Because the legend of the child is real! Which means... Jack Frost is the girl's father!"

Jack felt alarm bells ringing at his ears. He felt the sudden urge to flee, knowing full well that his actions and their testimonies would certainly make the people in the room believe in him...

Almost as if on cue, Baby Tooth was by the door, carrying his staff with all his might. He quickly ran to her as he snatched the wooden stick from the fairy's grasp and began to float a foot above the floor.

"Papa."

Jack paused and landed back on the floor on his feet. He turned and Snowflake was suddenly before him with her bright blue eyes boring into his own. The crowds all stared, and Jack feared that they had now all finally seen him. But then there were whispers... about why the child was talking to thin air, and why a hummingbird was present inside the castle on a winter day.

"Are you leaving now?" Snowflake asked him... but this time there was no sadness or hurt in her voice. Only a song of approval and silent plea for his return.

Jack smiled. "You know Papa's coming back, right?"

Snowflake nodded. "Uh-huh. And we can go flying again."

Jack agreed. "Yeah."

Snowflake turned to the crowd. "This is my Papa, Jack Frost. And he is the bestest best Papa in all the world!"

The crowd looked on... but still they could not see Jack. They broke into silent whispers. Anna, Rapunzel, Kristoff and Eugene gazed at him apologetically.

And then the duchess Helena herself stepped forward, standing beside the girl and faced the crowd.

"If the child believes that Jack Frost is her father... then I believe her..." she said with an authority. Jack Frost raised his brows as he tentatively touched the woman's shoulder and... went right through her.

He grinned.

"Then I believe her, too," the duke smiled.

And more guests echoed the same... but still they did not see Jack Frost.

They all turned to the queen, and gave her a more honest response. "We believe in you, Queen Elsa."

And with that, Elsa sighed in relief as she beamed a loving smile at her precious daughter.

Jack Frost, happy that everything seemed to go well, turned to Baby Tooth and whispered, "Let's go."

And then Jack fled the ballroom, after one final look at the people behind him...

And for some reason, he could not shake the feeling that the duchess stared into his eyes for a long moment... and smiled.

Moreover, the shocked and horrified face of Queen Elsa when he suddenly bolted out of those doors.

_Wait? Did Elsa just-_

And Jack Frost, the Guardian of Fun, fell on the floors of the halls... hard. And broke his staff. Again.

Baby Tooth only rolled her little eyes, and groaned.

...

A/N:


	11. Chapter 10: Mama's Game Over (Part I)

Elsa couldn't believe what she saw**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters that are not mine. The only characters I own are Snowflake and the duke and the duchess... and Radcliffe, yeah, he belongs to me too... I am not genius enough to have thought about Arendelle, or the Guardians of Childhood or Snegurochka... Just... ugh. Why?! **

**WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD BOOKS BY WILLIAM JOYCE. ALTHOUGH I DID NOT STICK TO THE BOOK CANON (because I am sticking with the movie-verse) , BUT THEY'RE STILL SPOILERS ANYWAY.**

**Chapter 10: Mama's Game Over (Part One)**

For once, Elsa felt extremely fascinated by a winter magic that wasn't her own.

She watched as the blue and white sparks of light portruded from her daughter, enveloping the ballroom in a paradox of warmth and chill that sent goosebumps running through her arms. The frost-animals that skittered about the air sent snowflakes flying all over the place in all their prancing and flying... and it coated the castle with an indescribable joy, almost as if the atmosphere had been blissfully manipulated by some spiritual intervention, that all negative feelings of doubt, hostility, and mockery were gone...

They were all replaced by joy... and fun.

Elsa just stared at her daughter, at the crowds watching her daughter while she chased the magical beings, at the music that began to flood as she ran and clapped around the room, at the snowfall that descended upon them making her all fuzzy and warm inside...

Suddenly she knew so clearly why she felt so overprotective of the child she had only had for a day. She wanted Snowflake all to herself... because she was _beyond magical._

With her, Elsa knew, that she finally understood about the beauty in her ice magic. Snowflake was... was every bit of the beauty in the gift she once claimed to be her curse. Of course she loved Olaf and Marshmallow like they were her children too... but Snowflake was just too different, aside from the fact that she looked more human than the other two.

She was the image of the joy and childish innoccence Elsa longed for all her life. She was carefree and adorable and she unnaturally and easily won the hearts of those around in spite of her being... different. All her actions had always beem motivated by love, and though she got upset easy, she would ease Elsa's fears of her getting out of control with fantastical displays of power such as this.

In that moment as she gazed upon the little girl who graced the crowds with her devious smile, Elsa knew, she loved her. She loved her little smile so much that it hurt.

And the queen vowed to protect her joy with every power she had and every force she could muster. She would not experience the same pain of being hid... of being locked away. No, Snowflake will not experience thay same isolation she dreaded for thirteen years of life.

But somehow, she dreaded the thought of letting her go.

In the queen's train of thought, a lone snowflake fell and kissed her nose. The feeling sent a childish giggle bubbling out of her lips as a cute expression came to mind.

Jack Frost nipped at her nose.

And the joy died as soon as she thought about it... Because right then, Elsa couldn't believe what she saw

It was only but a few fleeting seconds... a mere glimpse in fact. But her eyes were keen enough to catch sight of _him._

Who in heaven's name was that boy? And moreover, how could she have seen him suddenly pop out of nowhere? It was as soon as a breeze that passes by in a winter morn, catching the wanderer off guard with a frost bite. As the winter magic died inside the room in the heat of the merry banquet, the same cold crept speedily through her limbs while the flakes disappeared in her line of vision. That was what Elsa felt upon seeing that lad afloat two feet above the floor, dashing towards a promise of escape with a sheperd's staff in hand. She saw him as soon as the crowds by the big swinging doors thinned, materializing where Snowfalke had introduced her invisible Papa to them all... She saw him in that one slight moment... pale as the moon... cold as ice.

A lad with stark white hair, and frost-covered clothes.

Jack Frost.

"Oh..." Elsa fell slump against her throne, quite ungracefully in fact. The servants beside her rushed quickly in alarm, fanning her with a clean napkin and a feathered fan with panic visible in their eyes.

"My queen! My queen! Are you alright?!" the servants fretted.

"Don't feel... don't feel... don't feel..." she chanted quietly. Elsa paled like she had seen a ghost... like a nightmare had suddenly presented itself to her in one agonizing show. She massaged her temples, bracing herself against the arm rest which only heightened the servants' worries even more.

"Elsa!" Anna called out. She pressed through the celebrating guests, with Kristoff, Rapunzel, and Eugene trailing behind her. "Elsa are you okay?"

She found it quite peculiar how most of the guests had not noticed her sister's fainting spell. She guessed it was the after effect of Jack's magic that suspended them into a state of euphoria, but she decided not to dwell on the thought too much. The guests nearby had also began to crowd her, but then they sighed in relief as Elsa straightened herself up, though still looking a bit shaken.

"I... I'm fine..." she said breathlessly. "I just... I just feel..." Elsa bit her lip. She did not want to admit it... She did not want to give Anna that satisfaction of how right she was. Elsa did not want to believe in what she saw.

Why is that now? Because the reality of Jack Frost meant her days with Snowflake are numbered. Because it meant that Snowflake was not hers to keep... not hers to love...

If only she knew how wrong she was...

"I just feel relieved." Elsa lied, fighting tears that threatened to fall. "I'm glad they accepted her... I'm glad..."

Anna sighed in relief as she saw the color in the queen's face flush back to normal. "Golly... for a second there I thought you were like gonna die on me or something!"

Elsa smiled as she stood on shaky legs, resisting the urge to peek through the crowds and find the young man. She let out a breath, calming her heart as she thawed the ice she had unconsciously cast on her throne. Her servants stepped back to allow her some air before they dismissed themselves and proceeded to usher their guests. The day was indeed packed with so much unexpected events, leaving the entire Arendelle servants mentally and emotionally restless, and they could not even blame Elsa in her current state for they understood, even if only a tiny bit, what she was going through.

In the light of the moment, Elsa did not miss Eugene's disbelieving face as he eyed the throne like something was wrong with it. Grinning playfully, she produced a whoopie cushion hidden from one side of the seat and held it up for the man to see. The look on his face was priceless. Elsa chuckled softly to herself, earning confused looks from the ice man and the two princesses.

"W-when did you-"

"Whoopie cushions?" Elsa grinned. "You think you can embarass me with whoopie cushions?"

Eugene groaned. "That would have been so epic!"

Elsa allowed herself to laugh, relieving the tension from her shoulders. There was no room to be worrying about what or _who _she saw now. She decided that it was all in her head... just all in her head.

Oh for heaven's sake she was no fool!

She really did _see Jack Frost._

She just wouldn't admit it.

"I am the Snow Queen." Elsa murmured to herself as her laughter died. "I embody winter..."

"Say what?" Eugene asked her. "Now are you making fun of me under your breath?"

Rapunzel shoved him in the ribs.

"Ow!" he squeaked, nursing his right mid-section.

"You do not talk to a queen like that Eugene!" Rapunzel berated him. "And pranking her with whoopie cushions?!"

"Yeah, definitely not one of your brightest prank-ideas." Anna stiffled a laugh.

Rapunzel glared at the princess, making her squeak nervously in fear of her mood swing.

"You never changed, Flynn-ah-I mean, Eugene," Kristoff grinned as he patted the man's back. Eugene almost spilled his guts out at the impact of his rather brute strength. "I'm proud you even dared to prank Anna's sister."

Eugene only groaned again in frustration as Elsa stared him down smugly. But he also took note of the slightly unspoken distress at the corner of the queen's eye... and, if anything, the ex-thief, with his perceptive eyes and his talent for reading the abnormal, definitely knew something was bothering Elsa.

He caught her eyes scanning the crowds again, and he curiously followed gaze. He saw Lady Helena staring back at the queen with a knowing smile and a nod. First at the queen, then to the snow child beside her who was blabbering incoherently, and towards somewhere else. It only piqued Eugene's curiosity even more when the duchess turned to the open doors again... until he caught sight of a head of white crash-landing in the distance. And the crowds then shielded his view.

"Anna." he said firmly, tugging at the sleeve of her dress. He cocked his head to the crowds sending a silent message to her... that something, or _someone _was not where they supposed him to be.

Anna's eyes widened in realization.

"Punzie... Kristoff..." Anna murmured. "We've got a situation."

When the four retreated to a corner leaving the queen to herself at the throne, Elsa became genuinely curious why they suddenly left her behind.

"Where are you-"

But then they suddenly disappeared into the throngs of people clad in party suits and dresses.

"... going?"

... ...

"Drat!"

Jack eyed the pieces of his wooden staff warily, a few feet farther away from him. He groaned, pressing his cheek against the floor in frustration. For a few seconds he just lay there like a dead man, taking deep breaths while silently berating himself for ever coming to Arendelle in the first place. How the heck could he have tripped... while flying in the air? That just doesn't happen, at all. He cursed every wind of the four corners of the earth. He cursed his forever frozen teen hormones. He cursed his foolish boyish pride. He cursed at being such a total softie...

Why did he think Elsa saw him that time? Why was he suddenly so hopeful that time? Why was he so stupid to think the only other person with ice powers could already see him? Why did that one moment suddenly bring excited jitters in the pit of his stomach? It could only have been in his head couldn't it? Why did it even matter?

He's supposed to be in a hurry... but instead, he let a momentary glance at the queen distract him from his all important duties. He had only met Elsa for a day... well, not officially. He didn't know her enough to actually fall for her. Yes... he found her attractive-no-beautiful, but that shouldn't count as something worth getting all worked up about, right?

Oh for the love of... yes, he had a crush on the Snow Queen. But it's just that. A crush. He was a guy after all. What guy wouldn't crush on a girl as beautiful as her?

Now, now... Jack groaned angrily. Why was he even thinking about Elsa at a time like that? He had to get up and stop acting like a dork pressed against the floor. But instead, he stayed there, confused and angry and frustrated as hell about why the world was such a cruel place.

He even ignored Baby Tooth pulling him by the collar of his suit because of how depressed he felt.

"Pshhh..." he murmured against the floor. "Now what?" he asked himself. "Way to go and break your only ticket out, Frost."

"Why are you lying on the floor?"

Jack jerked his head up and found himself staring at the wide eyes of a talking snowman. He eyed the thing from head to toe, a bit creeped out at how he just stared at him like that without blinking. Baby Tooth perched on his shoulder and stared back as well, perhaps curious about a snow entity that wasn't made of Jack's hands.

"I'm guessing Elsa made you?" Jack told the snowman as he pushed himself up off the floor.

"Yeah, why?" the snowman asked him.

"Could you please get those broken sticks for me?" Jack asked him while he patted off the snowdust from his sleeves.

"Yeah, why?" the snowman asked him again.

"Okay... and can you please show me the exit to this place?" the winter spirit asked him.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you often answer questions with a 'yeah, why'?." Jack asked him with a grin as he observed the snowman gathering the pieces of his staff then handing them to him.

"Yeah, why?" the snowman answered him.

Jack answered him with a raised brow and an impatient smile.

"The doors at the center of the ballroom, you should've taken that." the snowman replied. Upon seeing the winter spirit groan in frustration, he added, "But you can also take the big door from across that hall. It heads towards the smaller west gate of the castle."

"Thanks." Jack smiled as he fixed his staff together with his magic. "What's your name little guy?"

"I'm Olaf." the snowman greeted him as he gestured to all of himself with his stick arms. "And I like warm hugs."

"I take it that Elsa made you?"

"Yeah, why?"

Jack chuckled, slowly lifting off from the floor. Olaf gasped as he clapped and pointed at the spirit who kicked off his knee-high boots, hitting two armors on display to the floor with a loud thunk. He wriggled his toes, feeling the relief of being barefoot and made a two fingered salute to the gaping snowman.

"Tell her that Jack Frost sends his regards."

And the Winter Spirit flew away towards the promise of freedom.

... ...

Helena knew she saw the winter spirit. Why it didn't come off as a surprise? It didn't matter. It took her a few seconds to believe it herself after she decided she would. And then she saw him...

He was just a boy. There was an air of mischief around him, she guessed, reminding her a bit of Elsa in her days before her seclusion from the world. She could judge it by the way he smirked conceitedly at the crowd he had bedazzled with his powers, and how he made that one last glance back at the ballroom before crash-landing to the floor.

Helena remained composed despite her shocked state. So, this was the other one responsible for this little girl's existence. She didn't find it hard to believe in Elsa for she was a fan of her powers... But upon knowing about this Jack Frost? Now it made her more intrigued...

Helena loved the winter. All good things in her life happened on a winter. She met Walter on a snowday. She had her first kiss on a December. She married on a January.

And her daughter was born on a winter. A day before her birthday.

She turned to the girl beside her who began towards a dining table with some other princesses. Helena was curious, for she was sure she had encountered the girl moments before... Only, she couldn't pinpoint when exactly...

"Love? Is something the matter?'

Helena graced her husband a genuine smile. She shook her head, linking her arm around the Falconer as he guided her to their table.

"I'm just happy with the sudden turn of events." she murmured. "Thank you Walter... For brining us here."

"And I'm happy that I get to see you smile again." Falconer replied. He turned his head to the side, relishing the view of merry laughter and cheer as the guests began to their seats for lunch. His gaze was far, imagining a scene of a little girl with coppery hair like his, running around the dancefloor the way Snowflake did... The girl reminded him of his beloved daughter so much that having a first glance of the child made him unintentionally hostile towards Elsa.

"I wish she lived long enough to see this." Falconer murmured. Helena only agreed quietly, lightly squeezing her husband's arm.

"She would have been fascinated with the snow child." Falconer continued.

"Yes." Helena spoke.

Falconer grinned. "She reminds me a little of her."

"I know." she replied.

Though people believed she took the news of Agatha's parting much worse than he did, Helena knew better who was hurting the most. In spite of Walter's intimidating facade, commanding a reverent confidence coveted by all men, he was the one who was truly hurting. Agatha had always been her father's little girl, and Walter had always been there when she wasn't. He had buried his pain so deep, refusing to weep and forcing himself to move on, all for the sake of making her and the rest of Strabald strong.

He would not relish in the relief of tearful release. For not only did his manly pride allow it... he locked these feelings away for the sake of everyone he cared about. He would stand, no matter how painful, no matter how much he missed his precious little girl.

"You don't have to pretend anymore Walter. It's okay to be scared sometimes." Helena whispered softly moments before they took their seats. The man paused, raising questioning brows at her.

She shook her head and smiled warmly at him.

A few clinking sounds against a crystal glass announced that it was time for lunch. And before they said grace, Helena decided that she'd have some small talk with the young queen about being a mother... and hoped that sooner than later, she could have a talk with that Winter Spirit about his intentions with her favorite Snow Queen.

But for now, she chewed on her food throroughly, relishing every bite as she gazed at the snow child from across their table with confusion and longing in her eyes.

... ...

"I think the lad's smitten."

North gazed at the horizon that hid everything headed south with a sure smirk on his face. Bunnymund rolled his eyes, leaning against the desk inside the man's office.

"I still don't see why we have to do this, mate." the rabbit quipped. "I thought you point blankly warned us about being seen by adults, and here you are encouraging Frost to go flirt with his not-wife."

North chuckled. "I would have stopped the lad if there was no child involved. But, seeing there is little girl in picture, human or not, we have to make the woman see him."

The jolly man began pacing around his workshop, watching as twelve sets of bracelets were rolled out of a machine made purely of ice. The elves fought with each other as they clumsily collected the silver cuffs and placed them inside a briefcase filled with glowing moon rocks, grinning up at the rotund man as if they had accomplished the most important mission in the world.

"I think it's not a very good idea, mate." Bunnynund disagreed with him. "Setting him up with a human? I mean he's only met her for a day. And we haven't seen the little ankle biter yet to fully assess she needs a complete family."

North glared at the Easter Bunny with his most intimidating look. "Every child needs complete family, Bunny. You know how kids are when they grow up in broken homes. At least we grant the child satisfaction of having her Mama see her father."

Bunnymund sighed, twirling his boomerang in his hand. "I understand what you mean, North. But let's not forget, this woman has the same powers as Jack. What if things go out of hand once she sees someone suddenly announcing he's the father? I could only imagine," Bunnymund visibly shuddered. "It'll be bloody hell. She'd think Jack was crazy. And I'm pretty sure she believes she made the child on her own."

"That, or she could fall in love with the lad." North shrugged. "That would be the lesser evil."

"Well, I thought the issue here was for the girl to see Jack... not for them to go all googly eyes with each other." Bunnymund muttered. "The last time a guardian fell in love with a human, he lost his immortality and left us forever."

Bunnymund paused as he stared at the jolly man who grew silent. The Easter Bunny knew the true reason why the man was suddenly so keen on setting Jack up with a human. Yes, the man hated knowing about children without a complete family, but it was definitely more than that...

"It's happening all over again, isn't it?" Bunny murmured.

"Yes," North agreed.

"But it's different too, North." Bunnymund said quickly. "Jack Frost is different from him. It all happened to him in reverse."

North looked at his Pooka friend with a smile as his thought traveled back to their earlier years, when the guardians fought The Boogey Man alongside other guardians, two of them whom he held very closely to his heart.

He remembered his best friend, a little orphan girl caught between childhood and maturity, with auburn hair and very open gray eyes. She was the only human ever appointed as guardian... and why she did not become immortal like the others, he still was yet to understand.

And then there was this other guardian... the one with stark white hair, mischievous green eyes, and a devious grin. He was every bit the guardian North admired... every bit the guardian he saw in Jack Frost.

Nothing had been more fulfilling for the jolly old man than to see the two falling in love.

But as a result of their love, their time as guardians became as limited as a mortal's sands of time. Regardless, North only saw wonder and light in their romance, believing in his heart that their love was not vain. Until death they were, and always would be, guardians brave and true.

"Ah, but love is such beautiful thing to not be nurtured." North murmured as he grinned at the memory. "Lad's been alone for more than three hundred years. At least we could give him what he was missing."

"No mate, you're making him choose." Bunnymund accused, without meaning to. "Don't make him choose."

North sighed as he picked up one of the silver bracelets and eyed it in wonder.

"I have to make Jack Frost choose." he said. "And I know that whatever he chooses, he will make the right decision."

"I didn't say he'd make the wrong choice, North." Bunny replied. "I'm just saying... what if he chooses one child... his child... over a billion others? What if he decides to-"

"Leave?" North asked, then laughed his jolly laughter. "Jack swore an oath. He is every bit as faithful as old Nightlight and Katherine... He wouldn't desert the guardians, no..."

Bunnymund let out a breath and looked at the white bearded man apologetically. "I know... I just wished ol' Manny let them live a little bit longer..."

They were silent for a moment, content with listening to the ten times busier yettis working outside the office as it was nearing the Christmas season. They heard the familiar brutish grunts as they carried large crates filled with toys, and the jingling of bells indicating the presence of elves. Usually the bustle of activity brought excited warmth to whoever set foot in the workshop at the thought of constructed toys nearing its final finish. But Bunnymund could only stare at the man dubbed as Santa Claus, who for the first time in a long time, looked as old as his years.

North broke the silence.

"Jack... deserves a bit more happiness, don't you think?" he asked. "I'm not saying he's unhappy... But among us, he was only one to experience death... He was just a child... He was just too young."

Bunnymund looked at him and understood. For a while now, the guardians noticed how North pulled of this fatherly affection towards Jack. The man was of course, Father Christmas, and like Jack, he knew what it was like to be human once too. He always thought that Jack's death had robbed him of the experiences he should have had as a boy ripening into a man... even though he knew that it was for the purpose of becoming a guardian. Bunnymund knew, he just knew... Because North believed Jack experienced isolation just as worst as their old friend...

"But if he'd fall in love the way Nightlight did..." Bunnymund whispered. "He'd..."

North glanced back at the Pooka and smiled a knowing smile. "We are not sure of that... but there is possibility."

"He'd turn back into a mortal." Bunnymund finished. He got lost in thought before violently shaking his rabbit head from side to side. "Well, there is a one to eight hundred chances for that, mate." He sighed. "I'd be more worried for the human that would fall for him. Trust me North. Should Jack fall for a human or a human fall for him, the relationship just won't work. They'd only end up hurting."

"It worked for Nightlight and Katherine." North grinned. "Besides, it's better to have loved and lost... than to never have loved at all."

North closed the briefcase filled with silver bracelets and moon rocks and left his office, Bunnymund trailing behind him. Soon he was at the center of the workshop, gazing fondly at The Globe in all its glory, watching as the lights flickered like bright stars as it turned. Hus eyes were fixed at a particular area in Norway though, at a quaint little kingdom called Arendelle, where he knew the winter spirit would be. He placed his large tatooed arm across the console, gripping the large dial as a prominent jolly smirk sketched across his face.

A familar hum of fairy wings fluttered beside North, followed by a snoring shubby sandmam hovering on his other side.

"Ooh, Jack will be so surprised with the surprise anniversary you're gonna give him!" the Tooth Fairy chatted excitedly. "I'm sure his surely-cute daughter would be happy about this!"

Bunnymund rolled his eyes and grunted. He still thought the plan was bogus... and sad... and maybe a tad bit too cheezy.

"Well then," North said with raised brows. "Time to give our guardian of fun a little false alarm."

And North turned the dial and launched _aurora borealis._

_... ..._

A grin plastered against Snowflake's pretty face as she stared broodingly at the hot stew in front of her. With each breath she blew, the soup would only turn instantly cold... But, no matter. She liked eating cold stuff anyway.

She just couldn't control her grin. It was as if something really wonderful was about to happen in her favor. She could only giggle to herself as she happily sipped her soup through her spoon, humming contentedly while the other kids just stared at her like she had caught a flu.

"Why are you all giggly all of a sudden?" a merchant's son suddenly asked her.

Snowflake smiled. A perfect imitation of her father's own grin. It made the boy blush ten shades of red.

"I think Papa's close to winning the game."

... ...

A/N: Whoopie! XD

I hope I didn't disappoint you guys with this chapter. Now, this Mama's Game Over Arc should be composed of three or four parts at most, I think. Writing this is gonna be fun fun fun... You wanna know why? Because its Jelsa fluff ahead! (Ahoy!) Hahahaha... Oh my...

I hope I'm not being too slow with the development. But I don't want it too rushed either. Every time I reread my previous chapters, it feels so rushed for me, amd believe me, I considered rewriting the whole thing (but I don't have the time or convenience to do it) and your reviews kinda tell me otherwise... *laughs* *sighs* please tell me what you guys think.

Oh,and I've reupdated the previous chap with the beta'd version! :D yay! Which also means..

OH KAIKA forgive me! I'll send you this doc! I promise! I'm just having trouble with Gmail and I kind of wanted to update on time... TT_TT I'll send you this doc as soon as I get a good connection, I promise.

*slumps on the floor* *cries*

thanks for the R&R everyone. and please click that button right over there, see? The one you see when you scroll down? You know you want to... *grins* Come on, tell me your theories. I'd be happy to read them (and grin in satisfaction when you get the theories all wrong-I mean-take the effort to support me in spite of my not-so-good writong style TT_TT)

Oh and for those who reviewed about Snowflake?

...

Teehee... Teeheeheehhe...


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